Media Releases

Statement by the Heads of Universities Committee (HUCOM)

In response to the new grading system for the revised Liberal Studies subject of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) with only two grades: “Attained (A)” and “Not Attained (NA)”, HUCOM has decided that the General Entrance Requirements of the four core subjects for HKDSE applicants will be revised from “3322” to “332A”, i.e. “332” and “Attained (A)”, beginning from the admission of the 2024/25 intake.   ***** END *****

PolyU and You Online Lecture Series 2021

Chinese version only

PolyU develops a highly permeable superelastic conductor which can be used for wearable electronic applications

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a highly permeable and superelastic conductor which can be used for wearable electronic devices that can withstand long-time wearing. This novel conductor is fabricated by coating or printing liquid-metal onto an electrospun elastomeric fibre mat, which offers high permeability, stretchability, conductivity and electrical stability so as to be employed in various applications including health monitoring devices, soft robotics and on-skin electronics. This research, titled “Permeable superelastic liquid-metal fibre mat enables biocompatible and monolithic stretchable electronics” (link), was recently published in Nature Materials.

PolyU wins six prizes at Geneva Inventions Expo

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has excelled in this year’s online special edition of the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (Geneva Inventions Expo) - Special Edition 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days – Virtual Event. The exhibition is regarded as one of the important annual events in the world devoted exclusively to inventions. PolyU garnered a total of six awards this year, including three Gold Medals and three Silver Medals. Numerous activities around the globe have been disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the daunting challenges, PolyU’s researchers have continued their efforts in research and development as well as in translating research into impactful innovations and applications. Among the six projects the University presented to the judges, two have already been commercialised through PolyU-supported start-ups led by our researchers. The awards won by the University at this event not only demonstrate the professionalism and strength of PolyU’s researchers, but also motivate them to further excel in their academic and scientific pursuits, enabling PolyU to push the boundaries of technological innovation and to generate a far-reaching impact on our community and the world. The winning projects of PolyU cover a wide range of applications, including healthcare, environmental monitoring, smart cities, and automotive safety, thus showcasing the University’s distinguished capabilities and accomplishments in innovation and technology. The six projects are (project details in Appendix):   Project Principal Investigator Awards CareCoatexTM: A Biomaterial-based Core-Shell Particles for Safe and Effective Antibacterial and Antiviral Applications Prof. Pauline Pei LI, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Co-founder of Grand Rise Technology Limited (a PolyU-supported startup) Gold Medal Smart City Platform: A Comprehensive System for Spatial Data Infrastructure Prof. John Wenzhong SHI, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics Gold Medal Smart Monitoring System for Urban Tree Management Sr Dr Charles Man-sing WONG, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics Gold Medal Liverscan: Palm-sized Real-time B-mode Ultrasound Imaging Guided System for Liver Fibrosis Assessment Ir Prof. Yongping ZHENG, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Founder of Eieling Technology Limited (a PolyU-supported startup) Silver Medal A Smart All-electric Antilock Braking System (ABS) Prof. Eric Ka-wai CHENG, Department of Electrical Engineering Silver Medal Biomimicking Photocrosslinkable Nanocomposite Bone Graft Dr Xin ZHAO, Department of Biomedical Engineering Silver Medal   The Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days – Virtual Event, held from 10 to 14 March, attracted about 600 exhibitors from more than 20 countries/regions. It was organised under the patronage of the Swiss Federal Government, the State and the City of Geneva as well as the World Intellectual Property Organisation. For details, please visit the event organiser’s official website: www.inventions-geneva.ch.   ***End***

PolyU School of Nursing launches first Youth Quitline run by nursing students

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) announced the launch of a student-run “Youth Quitline” service from the School of Nursing (SN), and a kick-off ceremony was held recently. The service provides free telephone counselling for young people who want to quit smoking, while nursing students are also given clinical placement opportunities to serve the youth under the pandemic, where they can learn to work in a community setting to benefit people in need. The "Youth Quitline" is funded by the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the Department of Health. Trained nursing students from PolyU are responsible for providing essential information to young people aged 25 or below, educating them about the health hazards and misconceptions associated with smoking (including emerging tobacco products), as well as offering assessments of nicotine dependence, formulating smoking cessation plans, suggesting various methods to control smoking addiction and providing free auricular cessation services, so as to help young people develop good lifestyle habits. Referrals can also be made for other appropriate smoking cessation services when needed. “Currently, training on smoking cessation counselling is not covered in most undergraduate nursing curricula. In view of this, PolyU's School of Nursing decided to train students in smoking cessation counselling skills and help them put their learning into practice. They will thus not only be equipped with professional knowledge, but also with essential hands-on experience,” said Professor David Shum, Yeung Tsang Wing Yee and Tsang Wing Hing Professor in Neuropsychology, Chair Professor of Neuropsychology and Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences of PolyU. He added that due to the pandemic situation, many clinical placements originally planned at various hospitals have been suspended. With the launch of the “Youth Quitline”, the School of Nursing will provide training to its Year 3 students to serve as peer counsellors, preparing them to offer smoking cessation counselling and health education to the public in their future capacity as professional nurses. The “Youth Quitline” has successfully served over 70 young smokers since its launch. Professor Alex Molasiotis, Angel S.P. Chan Lau Professor in Health and Longevity, Chair Professor of Nursing and Head of the School of Nursing, said, “By February next year, PolyU's School of Nursing is expected to have trained nearly 300 nursing students who are able to provide smoking cessation counselling. This will ensure sufficient manpower in expanding clinical and community-based services to quit smoking and hence better promote the benefits of quitting smoking to the general public.” To learn more about the “Youth Quitline” operated by PolyU, please visit: https://www.polyuyql.com/ Youth Quitline Telephone  :  3400 3799 or 1833-183 (press 5) WhatsApp  :  6126 5616 Address  :  Room AG102, Integrative Health Clinic, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Service Hours  :  Monday to Friday from 10 am to 10 pm; Saturday from 10 am to 8 pm. Closed on Sundays and Public Holidays   ***End***

PolyU Maker Fund to help young people embrace hardware start-up opportunities in the Greater Bay Area

PolyU welcomes the initiatives in the Financial Secretary’s 2021-22 Budget

Professor Jin-Guang TENG, President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), welcomes and supports the initiatives on innovation and technology (I&T) as well as higher education as announced in the Financial Secretary's 2021-22 Budget. He said the Government’s decision of allocating resources to education, social welfare and healthcare, despite the adverse local and global economic situation, will improve people’s livelihoods and contribute to the future development of society. PolyU is grateful to the Government for its funding support to enhance the University’s development in health sciences and health technology studies to cater to the needs of the community. Almost a thousand students graduate from PolyU’s healthcare programmes each year, and the Government’s funding will be utilised to carry out renovation and facility enhancement works to further its development of healthcare teaching. Furthermore, the construction of the academic building on the Ho Man Tin Slope has commenced and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. The new building will provide over 10,000 m2 floor area, which will facilitate the increase of student places at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and School of Optometry. The University has submitted proposals with world-leading institutions under the AIR@InnoHK and Health@InnoHK research clusters to support the Government’s InnoHK initiative. With the launch of the “InnoHK Research Clusters”, PolyU will establish several laboratories specifically for the development of health technology, artificial intelligence and robotics. The University will also continue to proactively recruit top talent from around the globe and will leverage its world-class research infrastructure to transfer research output into practical solutions for industry through collaborating with both academic and business partners. In view of the Government’s investment in the “Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities” in the past three years, PolyU is of the view that the scheme has helped foster innovation and technology development at the University and promoted an entrepreneurial spirit. Over the past ten years, PolyU has supported more than 300 start-ups and some of them have been successfully commercialised. The University has also introduced the “GBA Start-up Internship and Immersion Programme” and the “GBA Start-up Postdoc Programme” through engaging academic and industry mentors to support PolyU students in the development of I&T and start-ups. The Global STEM Professorship Scheme will help encourage overseas talent to come and work in Hong Kong, thus adding new momentum to the city's I&T development. PolyU believes that the rapid development of technology globally is making huge strides in the domain of emerging technologies, such as life science, materials science, data science, artificial intelligence, and robotics. PolyU will continue to strive for excellence in the research of these areas, and hire top-notch scholars with different expertise to support the sustainable development of teaching, learning, and innovative research in future.   ***** END *****  

PolyU scholar named Most Impactful Author and the University recognised as the World’s Leading Institution in orthokeratology

PolyU welcomes additional funding for promoting virtual teaching and learning

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) welcomes the additional funding launched by the University Grants Committee (UGC) and the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) for universities to promote the development of virtual teaching and learning (VTL). Over the years, PolyU has laid a solid foundation for VTL. In response to this new initiative, PolyU will actively propose innovative solutions, and continue to strive in acquiring more resources to promote the University’s development of VTL. To address the long-term teaching and learning needs, our initial plans include: developing exemplary real-time delivery of online academic programmes and new paradigms of online teaching, as well as initiating VTL-related research. In light of the ongoing pandemic situation, PolyU has been using different online teaching and learning platforms, while constantly upgrading its classroom facilities and providing training and technical support to staff and students to accommodate online and synchronous teaching. PolyU is also committed to digital transformation - some examples include building a teaching and learning centre that supplies e-learning resources, and developing new online teaching solutions, such as using virtual reality (VR) technology in teaching, and establishing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). PolyU has furthermore dedicated its efforts in developing a number of online science experiment platforms in recent years, including the newly launched “Borderless Lab 365”. The platform enables students to perform real-time science experiments remotely anywhere and anytime, thereby significantly improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning. This innovative platform is not only being used by the students of PolyU, but is also being deployed by various secondary schools. Feedback from teachers and students has been positive, this is a good testament to the competence of PolyU in effectively combining technology with teaching. Professor Wing-tak WONG, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU, said: “The UGC and QAC attach great importance to promoting VTL, which is in line with PolyU’s strategic development. We hope that with this additional funding in place, PolyU can secure more resources to accelerate the progress of VTL, so as to enhance the overall experience and effectiveness of teaching and learning.”   ***End***

PolyU to roll out International Summer School 2021

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is rolling out the International Summer School between 19 July and 16 August 2021. It is a five-week summer programme on the PolyU campus that offers an array of credit-bearing subjects and educational activities for students from different parts of the world to study, learn and explore Hong Kong. The summer programme is now open for applications until 28 February 2021. PolyU’s International Summer School offers a diversified range of intellectually stimulating subjects in three thematic academic areas, namely “Chinese Language, Culture and Society”, “Design, Innovation and Technology”, and “Business, Entrepreneurship and Global Leadership”. Participants can earn credits by attending distinctive courses taught by PolyU professors. They can also select some interesting and experiential classes like Wine Tasting, Elementary Cantonese, Japanese Culture, Artificial Intelligence and Science Fiction. The summer programme furthermore provides ample opportunities for the students to participate in various local field trips and cultural exchange activities like Chinese Kung Fu and calligraphy classes that enable them to discover the vibrancy and diversity of Hong Kong. With the aim of helping the overseas participants blend into the local life and culture, PolyU has a unique Buddy Programme that matches incoming International Summer School participants with PolyU students, thus encouraging intercultural communication between PolyU students and the global community. Since the inception of the PolyU International Summer School in 2016, PolyU has received a lot of positive feedback from previous participants. A student from the United Kingdom applauded that the classes were very well taught and engaging: “It also gave me the chance to connect with many people, both locals and foreigners, and the possibility to learn from new experiences, knowledge and cultures. I felt like I was able to fully immerse myself in the city and university life in Hong Kong.” To learn more about what previous participants feel about the PolyU summer programme, please visit: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/summerschool/about-us/sharings-from-participants/ For more details about the PolyU International Summer School, please visit: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/summerschool/.   ***End***