PolyU wins 37 awards at 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva; Earning global recognition for frontier research excellence

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) seized a total of 37 accolades at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (Geneva Inventions Expo), a widely recognised annual event dedicated exclusively to inventions. The remarkable achievement demonstrates the University’s research excellence and global influence in frontier technology development.

A total of 32 PolyU winning innovations received 37 accolades, including two Special Awards, six Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury, 14 Gold Medals, 10 Silver Medals, two Bronze Medals, one Special Prize and two Special Merit Awards. Among them, two were led by the InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research (CEVR), a partnership between PolyU and the University of Waterloo.

The project titled “PD-001R: A First-in-Class Candidate for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases”, developed by the research team led by Prof. Simon LEE Ming-yuen, Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Biomedical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Innovation, Chair Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, and Founder of PolyU startup AIM Pharmaceutical International Limited, in collaboration with Dr ZHAO Chen, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Food Science and Nutrition and Chief Technology Officer of AIM Pharmaceutical International Limited, won the Prize of Korea Invention Promotion Association and a Gold Medal. PD-001R is a first-in-class, novel small-molecule drug candidate for Parkinson’s disease (PD), derived from Alpinia oxyphylla Fructus and synthesised as a new molecular entity. Its primary mechanism of action is the promotion of pathological α-synuclein aggregate degradation. Preclinical studies show that PD-001R efficiently crosses the blood–brain barrier and exerts neuroprotective effects in animal models of PD and Alzheimer’s disease. It also exhibits favourable oral bioavailability and safety.

The project titled “Revolutionising Power Generator Inspection: The Baffle-compatible Autonomous Robot”, developed by the research team led by Prof. TAM Hwa Yaw, Chair Professor of Photonics, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, in collaboration with CLP Power Hong Kong Limited, won the Thailand Award for the Best International Invention & Innovation and a Gold Medal. This low-profile autonomous robot is designed for inspecting electrical generators. With a thickness of 36mm, it can pass through the gap between the stator and rotor without the need to dismantle the multi-ton rotor. The robot efficiently reduces costs and downtime, and supports proactive maintenance while enhancing generator reliability. Additionally, the robot carries a fibre-optic condition monitoring system that continuously assesses the health of its critical components, providing early indication of failures and ensuring inspection safety.

This year’s award-winning breakthroughs demonstrate strong transformative potential and address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. These ground-breaking innovations span diverse fields, including life sciences, healthcare, vision health, aerospace, artificial intelligence, robotics, sustainable energy, green applications, engineering, advanced materials and sustainable textiles. They are poised to create a tangible impact for society and build a smarter, healthier and more sustainable future.

Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation), commended the award-winning teams and startups, stating, “PolyU teams’ exceptional performance at the Geneva Inventions Expo this year is a testament to the strong international recognition of the University’s research excellence and innovation capabilities. Their accomplishments affirm PolyU’s steadfast commitment to advancing frontier research innovation and translating research outcomes into impactful real-world solutions. We will continue to nurture world-class researchers and startups, strengthen industry-academia-research collaboration and deepen knowledge transfer, creating lasting impact for Hong Kong, the Nation, and the world.”

Prof. DONG Cheng, PolyU Associate Vice President (Mainland Research Advancement), attended the exhibition and award ceremony in Geneva, where he supported the participating teams and startups. He also presented the “Prize of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University” and the “International Strategic Technology Alliance (ISTA) Global Innovation and Invention Award”.

Prof. Dong Cheng presented the “Prize of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University” on stage.

Prof. Dong Cheng presented the “International Strategic Technology Alliance (ISTA) Global Innovation and Invention Award” on stage.

As a pioneer in innovation and entrepreneurship, PolyU actively fosters a vibrant startup ecosystem. Among this year’s award-winning teams, 11 were PolyU startups supported by “PolyVentures”, the University’s flagship startup ecosystem. To date, over 600 active startups, including 2 listed companies, 3 unicorns and 26 ponies, have been nurtured in this ecosystem, underscoring the University’s leadership in research commercialisation and entrepreneurial impact.

The 51st Geneva Inventions Expo attracted over a thousand entries from about 40 countries and regions. PolyU’s impactful award-winning projects are listed below. For details, please refer to the Appendix or visit the website of the PolyU Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office.

Project	Principal Investigator(s)	Award
PD-001R: A First-in-Class Candidate for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases	Prof. Simon LEE Ming-yuen Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Biomedical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Innovation; Chair Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Food Science and Nutrition; Director, PolyU-BGI Joint Research Centre for Genomics and Synthetic Biology in Global Ocean Resources; Founder, AIM Pharmaceutical International Limited (a PolyU startup) Dr ZHAO Chen Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Food Science and Nutrition; Chief Technology Officer, AIM Pharmaceutical International Limited (a PolyU startup)	Prize of the Korea Invention Promotion Association Gold Medal
Revolutionising Power Generator Inspection: The Baffle-compatible Autonomous Robot	Prof. TAM Hwa Yaw Chair Professor of Photonics, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Associate Director, Photonics Research Institute	Thailand Award for the Best International Invention & Innovation Gold Medal
Viromids: A Redosable, Low-Cost Gene-Delivery Platform for Ocular Therapy	Prof. Roderick SLAVCEV Associate Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research Prof. HUANG Chien-ling Associate Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics, PolyU; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research	Special Prize of “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
oka³y! Personalised Freeform Orthokeratology Contact Lens with AI-guided Astigmatic Asymmetric Design	Prof. KEE Chea-su K.B. Woo Family Professor in Optometry; Head and Professor, School of Optometry; School of Optometry; Associate Director, Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV); Co-founder, GOOD Vision Technologies Co., Limited (a PolyU startup)	Special Merit Award from CORNELIUGROUP Association Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Proactive Early Warning System for Structural Health Monitoring of Wind Turbine Blades and Towers	Prof. YU Changyuan Chair Professor of Photonic Information System, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Director, PolyU-Jinjiang Technology and Innovation Research Institute; Scientific Advisor, Xiaoma Technology Limited (a PolyU startup) Ms MA Zhiqin PhD Candidate, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Founder, Xiaoma Technology Limited (a PolyU startup)	Special Merit Award from “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania Gold Medal
Stairio: Automated Staircase Safety Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance Robot with Handrail-affixed Locomotion System	Prof. HSU Li-ta Associate Professor, Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering; Limin Young Scholar in Aerospace Navigation	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Anti-ageing Beauty and Healthcare via Advanced Microfluidics	Dr XIE Fengjia Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Physics; Co-founder, X Beauty Technology Limited (a PolyU startup) Dr TSOI Chi Chung Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Physics; CDO, X Beauty Technology Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
Determination of Airframe Coating Degradation by Hyperspectral Imaging Correlation with Offline Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy	Dr TANG Hon Ping Principal Research Fellow and Project Lead, Aviation Services Research Centre	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
AI-driven Third-generation Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Design	Dr ZHOU Xin Yu Research Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury
LEO C-NAV: A Spaceborne Payload for Low-Earth Orbit Communication and Navigation Services	Prof. WEN Chih-yung Chair Professor of Aeronautical Engineering, Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering; Director, COMAC-PolyU Research Institute for Large Aircraft; Director, Research Centre for Unmanned Autonomous Systems; Associate Director, Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology Prof. XU Bing Assistant Professor, Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering	Gold Medal
Magnetophages: A New Class of Programmable Viral Nanocontainers with Active Control	Prof. CHUA Song Lin Associate Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Dr MA Yeping Scientific Officer, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology	Gold Medal
OmniCare: A Magic PGLADMA Platform for Advanced Wound Management	Prof. ZHAO Xin Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Limin Young Scholar in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering; Founder, ReNew Biotechnology Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal
Dragonfly Vision: A Mini Camera for Instant 180° Imaging	Prof. ZHANG Xuming Associate Head and Professor, Department of Applied Physics; Advisor, Dragon Vision Technology Limited (a PolyU startup) Dr JIANG Heng Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Physics; Co-founder, Dragon Vision Technology Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal
A Mechanical Cleaning Method for Semiconductors and Electronics Using Ice	Prof ZHAO Jiong Professor, Department of Applied Physics; Co-founder and Scientific Advisor, Clean2D Co., Limited (a PolyU startup) Dr LIU Haijun Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Applied Physics; Founder, Clean2D Co., Limited (a PolyU startup)	Gold Medal
Construction Robot for Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) and Steel Structure	Dr HAN Xiao-Zhou Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering	Gold Medal
Green Energy-driven Electrochemical Upcycling of Urban Solid Wastes	Prof. ZHANG Shipeng Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Associate Director, Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality Prof. POON Chi Sun Michael Anson Professor in Civil Engineering; Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Director, Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality	Gold Medal
Latching-based Smart Control System for Mitigating Ultra-low-frequency Vibrations: Inspired by Wave Energy Converters	Prof. ZHU Songye Interim Head and Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Interim Director, Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction (Hong Kong Branch) Mr WANG Hao PhD Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering	Gold Medal
WING: Wireless Infrastructure for Next-generation EV Charging	Prof. CHAU Kwok-tong Chair Professor of Electrical Energy Engineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Gold Medal
Fast-charging Anode-free Sodium Metal Batteries	Prof. XU Zheng Long Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Systems and Engineering Dr LYU Lin Long Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Industrial Systems and Engineering	Gold Medal
Adaptive Freeform Eyeglass for Instant Refractive Control	Dr Elie Aymard Jonathan de LESTRANGE-ANGINIEUR Research Fellow, School of Optometry Prof. George WOO Emeritus Professor and Senior Advisor, School of Optometry	Gold Medal
Safety-assured AI-driven Drone System for Cleaning Building Exteriors	Prof. WEN Weisong Assistant Professor, Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering; Founder, CeresRobotics.ai Limited (a PolyU startup)	Silver Medal
Hydrogel Dressing for Drug-resistant Bacterial Infection via Sonodynamic Therapy	Prof. HAO Jianhua Head and Chair Professor of Materials Physics and Devices, Department of Applied Physics; Associate Director, PolyU-Wuhan Technology and Innovation Research Institute	Silver Medal
ProMuki: Wearable Ultrasound Monitoring and Analysing of Muscle Activities for Fitness, Sports and Rehabilitation	Prof. ZHENG Yongping Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering; Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Director of Research Institute for Smart Ageing; Director of Jockey Club Smart Ageing Hub	Silver Medal
Nanocarbon-coated Conductive Aggregates (NCCA) for Smart, Sustainable Asphalt Pavement	Prof. LENG Zhen Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Associate Director, Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality	Silver Medal
Next-generation Electric Vehicles Based on In-motion Wireless Resonant Charging Technologies	Prof. NIU Shuangxia Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering	Silver Medal
DermaScan AI	Prof. CAI Jing Head and Chair Professor of Medical Physics and Intelligent Oncology, Department of Health Technology and Informatics; Technical Advisor, InsightRT Limited (a PolyU startup) Dr MA Zongrui Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Health Technology and Informatics; CEO, InsightRT Limited (a PolyU startup)	Silver Medal
Intelligent Driving Training and Evaluation System for Heavy-duty Trucks	Prof. FU Xiaowen Head and Chair Professor of Logistics Engineering, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Dr TANG Yuk Ming Senior Lecturer, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering	Silver Medal
Intelligent Ankle Rehabilitation Robt	Prof. ZHANG Dan Chair Professor of Intelligent Robotics and Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering; Director of PolyU-Nanjing Technology and Innovation Research Institute	Silver Medal
Carbon Dioxide Reduction Device	Mr TAN Qian Alumnus, Department of Management and Marketing; CEO, Huaxia Gallium Carbon Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd (a PolyU startup)	Silver Medal
FlavoTear - Baicalein: A Novel Disease-Modifying Agent for Dry Eye Disease	Prof. Chi-wai DO Associate Professor, School of Optometry; Associate Director, PolyU-Nanjing Technology and Innovation Research Institute; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research Prof. Emmanuel HO Associate Director, Graduate Studies and Research, University of Waterloo; Principal Investigator, InnoHK Centre for Eye and Vision Research	Silver Medal
Oral-motor Assessment and Rehabilitation Mobile App (ORAR App)	Dr Winsy WONG Research Assistant Professor, Department of Language Science and Technology; Clinical Consultant and Co-inventor, Feelings Group Ltd (a PolyU startup) Miss YIP Chi Hay Founder, Feelings Group Limited (a PolyU startup)	Bronze Medal
Sustainable Long-lasting Rewritable Textiles for On-demand Pattern Customisation	Prof. XU Bingang Professor, School of Fashion and Textiles	Bronze Medal

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