Media Releases

PolyU and Cheoy Lee Shipyards forge strategic partnership to advance alternative-powered vessel technology

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Cheoy Lee Shipyards have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly promote research and innovation in artificial intelligence robotics, alternative-powered vessels and green materials. This collaboration aims to drive breakthroughs in electric vessels, sustainable manufacturing technologies and renewable energy. The signing ceremony was held on the PolyU campus. The MoU was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, and Mr Martin LO, Director of Cheoy Lee Shipyards. Prof. Christopher Chao remarked, “PolyU is committed to advancing cutting-edge research and promoting academic-industry collaboration. This partnership with Cheoy Lee Shipyards exemplifies the synergistic advantages of academia and industry collaboration, paving the way for a new era of intelligent and sustainable vessels and reinforcing Hong Kong’s leadership in green shipping.” Mr Martin Lo stated, “This collaboration marks a new milestone in the long-term partnership between PolyU and Cheoy Lee Shipyards. Our shared vision is to combine the University’s research excellence with the Shipyard’s industry expertise to drive the future of shipbuilding and sustainable maritime development, moving towards smarter, greener and more sustainable growth.” PolyU and Cheoy Lee Shipyards will collaborate on scientific research, testing environments and application scenarios, promoting comprehensive innovation and advancing sustainable maritime technologies and energy-efficient transportation. This partnership will inject strong momentum into Hong Kong’s development as an international innovation and technology centre.   ***END***

PolyU research drives commercialisation of energy-efficient solar cell technology towards 40% efficiency milestone

Third-generation solar cell technology is advancing rapidly. An engineering research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has achieved a breakthrough in the field of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (TSCs), focusing on addressing challenges that include improving efficiency, stability and scalability. The team has conducted a comprehensive analysis of TSC performance and provided strategic recommendations, which aim to raise the energy conversion efficiency of this new type of solar cell from the current maximum of approximately 34% to around 40%. The team hopes to accelerate the commercialisation of perovskite/silicon TSCs through industry-academia-research collaboration, while aligning with the Nation’s strategic plan of carbon peaking and neutrality and promoting the development of innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence through renewable energy. The research team comprises leading scholars including Prof. LI Gang, Chair Professor of Energy Conversion Technology and Sir Sze-yuen Chung Endowed Professor in Renewable Energy, and Prof. YANG Guang, Assistant Professor, both of the PolyU Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. They conducted a critical review of the challenges and future prospects of perovskite/silicon TSCs. Their research paper, “Towards efficient, scalable and stable perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells”, has been published in the international journal Nature Photonics. Tackling stability and manufacturing challenges “While lab-scale devices have shown impressive efficiency advancement, further efforts are needed to improve their reliability, including minimising efficiency losses from small-area devices to large-area modules,” said Prof. Li Gang. “Special focus should also be given to ensuring that the manufacturability of materials and methods aligns with industrial standards.” To address these issues, Prof. Yang Guang and the team has highlighted several critical technical challenges. First, the intrinsic instability of perovskite materials under environmental stresses such as moisture, oxygen, ultraviolet light and thermal fluctuation remain a major challenge. Secondly, translating tandem devices to commercial-scale modules requires overcoming hurdles related to uniformity, defect control and large-area fabrication. Although preliminary outdoor testing of perovskite/silicon TSCs has been conducted, certified data on their long-term reliability remain scarce. To better assess the actual lifetime and commercial potential of these cells, the researchers recommend rigorous accelerated stability testing based on standardised procedures outlined by the International Electrotechnical Commission. Additionally, while perovskite raw materials are relatively low-cost, the use of rare elements and heavy metal lead in most cell designs raises significant environmental and regulatory concerns. The research therefore advocates for the development of sustainable alternatives, along with efficient recycling or lead sequestration strategies to enable viable commercialisation. Promoting industry-academia-research collaboration to accelerate deployment and drive cost reduction and efficiency gains The PolyU team advocates for industry-academia-research collaboration through a multidisciplinary approach that integrates material science, device engineering and economic modelling to advance this promising photovoltaic technology. “The development of efficient and reliable perovskite/silicon TSCs must address these remaining scientific challenges to achieve lower levelised electricity costs,” said Prof. Yang Guang. “The team hopes this research will facilitate the transition of the technology from laboratory studies to commercial fabrication, while closely aligning with the Nation’s strategic plan of carbon peaking and neutrality. By providing a stable supply of high-efficiency renewable energy, we aim to deliver green and reliable power support for high-energy-consuming industries such as artificial intelligence, thereby helping to achieve a low-carbon transformation of the energy structure.” ***END***

PolyU-Shaoxing Technology and Innovation Research Institute officially inaugurated

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Vice Minister of Science and Technology Mr Chen Jiachang leads delegation to PolyU

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PolyU Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation hosts “PolyU Northern Metropolis Future Forum Season 2”

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PolyU-Wuhan Technology and Innovation Research Institute officially inaugurated, promoting development of medical and health industry in the two cities

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PolyU honours two distinguished personalities at 31st Congregation

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held its 31st Congregation today, presided over by PolyU Council Chairman Dr LAM Tai-fai and President Prof. Jin-Guang TENG. At the ceremony held in the Jockey Club Auditorium on campus, Honorary Doctorates were conferred upon two prominent figures, while Doctor of Philosophy degrees were awarded to the graduating students. The two honorary degree recipients were (in alphabetical order of last name; please refer to the Appendix for the recipients’ biodata): Mr HAN Bicheng, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Qiangnao Technology - Doctor of Technology honoris causa Prof. Barry James MARSHALL, 2005 Nobel Laureate (Physiology or Medicine); Director of the Marshall Centre for Infectious Diseases Research and Training, The University of Western Australia; PolyU Distinguished Honorary Professor - Doctor of Science honoris causa Prof. Jin-Guang Teng extended his warmest congratulations to the honorary doctorates and doctoral graduates. In a time when artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies are transforming the way people live, learn and work, he encouraged the graduates to embrace technology with curiosity, responsibility and creativity. He added, “PolyU is committed to preparing our students for the AI era. At the forefront of integrating AI into education, the University implemented compulsory AI education for all undergraduates back in September 2022. We also established the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences in January this year to meet the growing demand for talent and expertise in the age of AI and set up the PolyU Academy for Artificial Intelligence in April to propel the University to the forefront of AI research and applications. Looking ahead, we will further leverage AI to transform our educational offerings. We have launched the PolyU Education 4.0 initiative, aiming to integrate AI and smart technologies into a student-centred approach that fosters innovation and promotes the wider use of AI and educational technologies in learning and teaching.” Prof. Teng advised the graduates, “As Hong Kong develops into an international innovation and technology centre and our Nation grows into a global science and technology powerhouse, exciting opportunities await those who are ready to innovate and lead. With the strong foundation you have developed at PolyU, we are confident that you are well-positioned to seize these opportunities and shape a brighter future.” The University is conferring academic awards on a total of 11,519 students this year, including 477 Doctor of Philosophy degree graduates, 204 professional doctoral degree graduates, 37 Master of Philosophy degree graduates, 6,371 taught master’s degree graduates, 4,401 bachelor’s degree graduates, 15 postgraduate diploma recipients and 14 higher diploma recipients.   ***END***

PolyU hosts thematic seminar on “Exploring the Theory and Practice of China’s Diplomacy”, featuring keynote speeches by former ambassadors of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) Research Centre for Chinese History and Culture, Confucius Institute of Hong Kong and Mainland Development Office, in collaboration with the China Foreign Affairs University, today hosted the thematic seminar “Exploring the Theory and Practice of China’s Diplomacy” at the Chiang Chen Studio Theatre on the PolyU campus. The event drew a full house, attracting over 230 PolyU faculty members, students, alumni and members of the public. Two former ambassadors from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were invited as keynote speakers: Ambassador LUO Linquan, former Director-General of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China in the Hellenic Republic and in Ireland, Consul General (Ambassadorial Rank) of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco, and current Vice President of the China Public Diplomacy Association; and Ambassador SUN Gongyi, former Director-General level Counsellor of the Department of African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, and former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China in the Republic of Mauritius.They shared their insights and first-hand diplomatic experiences while exploring the theory and practice of building a “China-Africa Community with a Shared Future”, guiding the audience through the development of China’s foreign policy. Dr LAM Tai-fai, PolyU Council Chairman, remarked, “Through reform and opening-up, China has developed into the world’s second-largest economy. China’s diplomatic endeavours are not only crucial to the Nation’s development but are also closely linked to Hong Kong’s future. With the unique advantage of the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle, Hong Kong should leverage its role as a bridge between the Chinse Mainland and the rest of the world, fully embracing its role as a ‘super-connector’ and ‘super value-adder’ to contribute to the Nation’s diplomatic efforts. PolyU is committed to nurturing socially responsible students with a strong sense of national pride and a global perspective, equipping them to drive societal progress and contribute to the Nation’s development. Today’s seminar is a key event of the ‘PolyU Chinese Culture Festival’ and we are grateful to the ambassadors for sharing their experiences, which will deepen our students’ understanding of China’s diplomatic work and strengthen their sense of belonging, recognition and pride.” Ambassador Luo Linquan has held numerous diplomatic posts and possesses extensive experience in foreign affairs. In his keynote speech entitled “Insights into Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs: First-hand Diplomatic Experiences”, he noted that throughout his decades-long career as a diplomat, he had experienced and handled many major diplomatic incidents. During China’s large-scale evacuation of citizens from Libya in 2011, as the then-Chinese ambassador to Greece, with the support of the Greek government, he managed to charter three cruise ships in a few hours, helping 13,000 Chinese citizens evacuate from Libya through Greece and return home. “This was the largest, fastest and most effective overseas protection operation for Chinese citizens since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. We acted swiftly and decisively, embodying the principle of diplomacy for the people, putting people first and valuing life above all,” he said. Another keynote speaker, Ambassador Sun Gongyi, studied at the China Foreign Affairs University and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and has rich experience in African diplomacy. Speaking on “The Theory and Practice of Building a ‘China-Africa Community with a Shared Future’”, he highlighted the importance of launching this initiative. “Amid great changes unseen in a century, marked by strategic competition and multilateral struggles, Africa is a key partner China can rely on. For example, in international organisations and multilateral forums, African countries are often the strongest supporters of China’s proposals and assertions. The significance of the China-Africa Community with a Shared Future extends beyond bilateral relations — it contributes to the creation of a new and fair international order, which holds great importance for the entire world,” he stated. During the Q&A session, the response was enthusiastic. One participant Prof. C. C. CHAN, an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Distinguished Chair Professor of the PolyU Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, posed questions and shared his insights. He expressed great admiration for the courage of Chinese diplomats in carrying out their duties without fear for their own safety. He also shared that during his visit to Sweden, local officials praised China’s strong diplomacy, which is backed by robust economic and defence capabilities. Ambassador Sun highlighted that the political concept of “Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind”, proposed by China’s leadership, has been incorporated into UN General Assembly resolutions, reflecting the country’s wisdom in grasping global trends and the trajectory of human destiny. ***END***

PolyU PReCIT hosts inaugural forum of the Global Thought Leaders Forum Series, examining transformation of global political and economic landscape

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to advancing the frontiers of knowledge and innovative scientific research, with its Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) striving to contribute to the advancement of Hong Kong, the Nation and the world through interdisciplinary policy research. PReCIT has organised the new Global Thought Leaders Forum Series and hosted the inaugural forum today in collaboration with the PolyU Mainland Development Office (MDO) and Student Affairs Office. Featuring a keynote speech on the ongoing transformation of the global political and economic landscape by Prof. ZHANG Weiwei, Director of the China Institute at Fudan University, the Forum attracted over 500 PolyU students, staff and members of the public. The Forum was held at the Chiang Chen Studio Theatre and was broadcast live across other venues on the PolyU campus. Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Senior Vice President and Director of PReCIT, and Prof. LU Haitian, Director of MDO and Core Member of PReCIT, delivered speeches, while Dr Laura LO, Associate Vice President (Institutional Advancement), Prof. Horace MUI, Interim Dean of Students and Core Member of PReCIT, and other distinguished guests attended the event. In his welcoming speech, Prof. Christopher Chao said, “In today’s complex and ever-changing global landscape, technology and innovation are not only engines of development but also influence international relations, models of governance and even the development of modern civilisation. With the PReCIT Global Thought Leaders Forum series, we envision creating a platform that gathers influential thought leaders worldwide and promotes informed dialogue on cutting-edge technology and policies.” Themed “A Century of Transformation, Choices of Great Powers,” the inaugural forum explored the strategic choices of the three major powers - China, the United States and Russia - in this historical tide, as well as the profound implications of their choices for the evolution of the entire national order. Prof. Zhang Weiwei emphasised that the world is experiencing unprecedented changes, with the rise of the East and the decline of the West becoming an irreversible historical trend. This transformation is reflected not only in the restructuring of the international political and economic landscape, but also in technological revolutions, competition between systems and transformations in forms of civilisation. Prof. Lu Haitian stated, “PReCIT will continue to invite global thought leaders to serve as distinguished speakers for the Series, focusing on key issues such as technology ethics, innovative governance and sustainable development, aiming to stimulate diverse perspectives, explore solutions, and collaborate in constructing an inclusive and developing a future global blueprint.” Bringing together top scholars, policymakers, industry leaders and innovation pioneers from around the world, the PReCIT Global Thought Leaders Forum Series casts a spotlight on the policy challenges, governance frameworks and future development strategies faced worldwide in the face of technological change. Facilitating interdisciplinary dialogue and knowledge sharing, the Forum Series will serve as a bridge to connect international intellectual resources and promote the deep integration of technology and the humanities, driving sustainable development and social welfare improvements.   ***END***

PolyU reshapes AI training paradigm, significantly reducing costs and democratising AI research

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) Academy for Artificial Intelligence (PAAI) has announced achieving several milestones in Generative AI (GenAI) research. The PAAI team is pushing the boundaries of AI with a novel collaborative GenAI paradigm known as Co-GenAI, which has the potential to transform frontier model training from a centralised, monolithic approach into a decentralised one. Significantly lowering training resource requirements, protecting data privacy and removing resource barriers such as graphics processing unit (GPU) monopolies paves the way for a more inclusive and accessible environment for global institutions to participate in AI research. Advances in GenAI research are presently constrained by three major barriers: training foundation models being so computationally prohibitive that only a few organisations can afford it, effectively excluding global academia from frontier model development; domain knowledge and data remaining siloed due to privacy and copyright concerns, particularly for sensitive information in healthcare and finance; and foundation models being static and unable to evolve with emerging knowledge, while retraining each frontier model ab initio consumes an enormous amount of resources and makes rapid iteration impossible. To tackle these challenges, the PAAI team has developed a novel model training framework that enables ultra-low-resource training and decentralised model fusion. The framework is theoretically grounded and has been validated through extensive real-world applications. PolyU is the first academic institution to open-source an end-to-end FP8 low-bit training solution that covers both continual pre-training (CPT) and post-training stages. This approach will set a new standard for training models with FP8 ultra-low resources while maintaining BF16 precision, in turn revolutionising the practice of model training and positioning PolyU among the few institutions worldwide to master this advanced training technique. Compared with BF16, FP8 delivers over 20% faster training, reduces peak memory by over 10% and dramatically lowers training overheads while maintaining performance. The pipeline integrates CPT, supervised fine-tuning (SFT) and reinforcement learning (RL) to achieve BF16 quality while shortening training time and reducing memory footprint. The team has begun exploring even lower-cost FP4 precision training, with initial results reported in academic publications1. In medical applications, the models trained by these pipelines outperform all peer models on diagnosis and reasoning across all key areas2. In research agent application, the models also demonstrate exceptional performance in complex task handling, generalisation and report quality3. Until now, foundation model training has followed scaling laws: more parameters yield broader knowledge and stronger performance. However, centralised training typically requires millions of GPU hours—a resource available to only a few organisations. The PolyU InfiFusion model fusion achieves a key milestone in model fusion research: it uses only hundreds of GPU hours to fuse large models that would otherwise require 1–2 million GPU hours to train from scratch. The team has merged four state-of-the-art models in 160 GPU hours4-5, avoiding million-scale training budgets while delivering fused models that significantly outperform the originals across multiple key benchmarks. The team has published the first theoretical validation of model fusion—a concept championed by Thinking Machines Lab. Through rigorous mathematical derivation, they proposed the “Model Merging Scaling Law,” suggesting there is another viable pathway to artificial general intelligence (AGI)6. Prof. YANG Hongxia, Executive Director of PolyU PAAI, Associate Dean (Global Engagement) of the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, and Professor of the Department of Computing, stated, “Ultra-low-resource foundation model training, combined with efficient model fusion, enables academic researchers worldwide to advance GenAI research through collaborative innovation.” The team has also demonstrated the potential of its training pipelines through applications across specific domains, including state-of-the-art medical foundation and cancer AI models that achieve best-in-class performance. With the integration of high-quality domain-specific data, these models can adapt to medical devices for different scenarios, including personalised treatment and AI-based radiotherapy for oncology. In this context, the team is now collaborating with Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Shandong Cancer Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong. PAAI has also introduced a leading agentic AI application in deep search and academic paper assistance—a graduate-level academic paper writer with agentic capability that supports a multimodal patent-search engine for end-to-end research and manuscript drafting. Prof. Christopher CHAO, Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, stated, “AI is a key driver in accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. The newly established PAAI is dedicated to expediting AI integration across key sectors and developing domain-specific models for diverse industries. These initiatives will not only solidify the leading position of PolyU in related fields, but also help position Hong Kong as a global hub for GenAI.” The research project led by Prof. Yang Hongxia is supported and funded by the Theme-based Research Scheme 2025/26 under the Research Grants Council, the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme under the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government, and the Artificial Intelligence Subsidy Scheme under Cyberport. It marks a significant step forward for Hong Kong in global AI innovation and accelerating the democratisation and industrial implementation of AI technology.   1InfiR2: A Comprehensive FP8 Training Recipe for Reasoning-Enhanced Language Models,  https://arxiv.org/html/2509.22536v3 2InfiMed: Low-Resource Medical MLLMs with Advancing Understanding and Reasoning, https://arxiv.org/html/2505.23867 3InfiAgent: Self-Evolving Pyramid Agent Framework for Infinite Scenarios, https://arxiv.org/html/2509.22502 4InfiGFusion: Graph-on-Logits Distillation via Efficient Gromov-Wasserstein for Model Fusion, https://arxiv.org/html/2505.13893 5InfiFPO: Implicit Model Fusion via Preference Optimization in Large Language Models, https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.13878 6Model Merging Scaling Laws in Large Language Models, https://arxiv.org/html/2509.24244   ***END***