Media Releases

PolyU and SenseTime Collaborate on Metaverse Research

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and SenseTime Group Limited (SenseTime) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration on research and development related to metaverse technologies and autonomous driving applications. The collaboration between PolyU and SenseTime aims to translate their joint research outcomes into applications to improve people’s daily lives. There are two research focuses under this collaboration: metaverse-related imaging technologies and solutions for different applications such as education, art and tourism; and high-performance collaborative edge computing enabling autonomous driving applications. PolyU has leveraged its interdisciplinary research and innovation capabilities and teamed up with leading players in the tech industry to meet the needs of scientific advancement and social development. SenseTime is a leading global company with a mission of advancing the interconnection of the physical and digital worlds with artificial intelligence, as well as driving sustainable productivity growth and seamless interactive experiences. With this partnership, PolyU harnesses its academic and research expertise to promote metaverse and AI technologies to bring benefits to business and society. Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, said, “The signing of this MoU between PolyU and SenseTime signifies the determination of the two parties to work together to strengthen their research and development capabilities in AI-related technologies. PolyU will continue to leverage its scientific research advantages, actively collaborate with industry, and transform cutting-edge technologies into practical applications in order to promote social advancement and contribute to building Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub.” Dr XU Li, Executive Chairman of the Board and CEO of SenseTime, said, “As a home-grown AI company in Hong Kong, SenseTime is committed to nurturing young talents through university collaborations with an innovative spirit. We are excited to join hands with PolyU to expand AI applications and collaboration in intelligent automobile, vehicle-road synergy, digital world, as well as AI talent recruitment and internships, thus facilitating technology ecosystem development in Hong Kong.” The Colour, Imaging and Metaverse Research Centre of PolyU, led by Dr WEI Minchen Tommy is responsible for this collaboration. As a pioneer in exploiting the potential of the metaverse for different applications, the Centre was established to conduct high-impact fundamental research and develop system algorithms and solutions. SenseTime is a leading AI software company, focused on creating a better AI-empowered future through innovation. Its technologies are applied in many industry verticals including Smart Business, Smart City, Smart Life and Smart Auto.   ***End***

PolyU and HKSI enhance admission and flexible learning support to foster dual career pathways for elite athletes

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Elite Athletes Study Programme to enhance a joint programme concerning admission and flexible learning arrangements for elite athletes, enabling them to receive full-time athlete training while continuing to pursue their university studies. The ceremony was witnessed by Mr Eric CHAN Kwok-ki, Chief Secretary for Administration; Miss Alice MAK Mei-kuen, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs; and Dr LAM Tai-fai, Council Chairman of PolyU and Chairman of HKSI. The MOU was signed by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU and Dr Trisha LEAHY, Chief Executive of HKSI. Prof. Jin-Guang Teng said, “PolyU has always been supportive of nurturing elite Hong Kong athletes, and hopefully the two parties will continue to work together to further enhance the Elite Athletes Study Programme”. He added, “Since five years ago, PolyU and HKSI started to collaborate on the Elite Athletes Study Programme to further strengthen support for athletes. Since then, a total of 17 elite athletes have been admitted to PolyU to pursue their studies in various subjects including health and social sciences, business, engineering, humanities, science, and hotel and tourism management, etc.” Dr Trisha Leahy said she was thankful to PolyU for its continued support of the betterment of dual-career development for elite athletes. She said, “To sustain the local development of elite sports, the HKSI has attached great importance to the whole-person development of elite athletes, in addition to high-performance training, with an aim to attract more gifted young persons to join the elite athlete family. With more academic opportunities offered under the MOU, elite athletes will be enabled to keep striving for sports excellence while pursuing their tertiary education simultaneously.” Through this collaboration, the HKSI will nominate qualified elite athletes to study full-time undergraduate programmes at PolyU. The collaboration allows nominated athletes to have flexibility in their studies by extending the required study period, which is particularly crucial to athletes who need to attend intensive training courses. PolyU will also provide individual mentorship services to support athletes in areas ranging from academic studies to campus life adjustment. Under the enhanced arrangement, the number of nominations of full-time athletes will be raised from 20 to 30 per academic year and be made by two rounds per year. As an encouragement, PolyU will offer a scholarship to all eligible student athletes. The ceremony was also attended by a number of current PolyU elite athletes who were admitted under the Student-Athlete Learning Support and Admission Scheme (SALSA). They shared their experiences in balancing both athlete training and academic studies. Swimmer Miss Tinky HO Nam Wai, who represented Hong Kong to compete in the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is currently studying Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Scheme in English and Applied Linguistics. She said, “I generally spend an average of three to four weeks in overseas training or competitions per semester. The flexible study arrangement of the programme allows me to concentrate on training.” Epee fencer Miss Kim KWAN Yee Man, who won the bronze medal in the Women’s Epee Team at the U23 Asian Fencing Championships in October, is currently studying Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physiotherapy. She said, “Balancing studies and sports training could be challenging, but PolyU professors provide me with individual mentorship on my studies, allowing me to keep up with the learning progress in the tight training schedule.” Squash player Miss TAM Mariko Cho Nga, is currently studying Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Medical Laboratory Science. She believes that PolyU provides robust support to full-time athletes, graduates are eligible for professional qualifications after completing the studies, which can broaden the professional development in the future. Targeting to attract more sporting talents to devote themselves to full-time training, the HKSI has established the Elite Athlete-friendly School Network in 2014 and the Partnership School Programme in 2015, working with local universities for supporting athletes on their dual career pathway in their sporting life.   *****End*****

PolyU’s School of Accounting and Finance launches its first Fintech Adoption Index Survey

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s (PolyU) School of Accounting and Finance, in collaboration with AI investment trading start-up Asklora, has released the inaugural PolyU-Asklora Fintech Adoption Index (FAI), which is the first locally developed index to measure Hong Kong consumers’ fintech adoption and impact. The FAI surveyed over 1,000 Hong Kong residents in regard to their adoption of key fintech applications including virtual banking, mobile payments, online brokerage, digital insurance and cryptocurrency. The survey found online stock brokerage has the second-highest adoption rate among all the fintech applications but ranked second-lowest in terms of active usage rate. Conversely, digital insurance has the second-lowest adoption rate while scoring second-highest in active usage. The research also found that users of virtual banking services had a higher overall adoption rate of all kinds of fintech applications. For instance, 77% of them were users of online brokerage services. The PolyU-Asklora project is led by Dr Jingran ZHAO, Associate Professor of the School of Accounting and Finance, Mr Jack POON, Professor of Practice from the same school and Mr Stephen Joon CHOI, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Asklora.　Overall, the FAI was measured at 55, which captures both the proportion of respondents adopting fintech products and the spectrum of fintech services they adopted, with 51% of respondents identified as active fintech users. Furthermore, 85% of respondents reported being satisfied with their fintech solutions experience, while security was cited as their biggest concern. Dr Jingran Zhao said, “The FAI survey results show that Hong Kong residents are keen to adopt fintech products, but fintech companies still have more work to do to convert these new users to active users by, for example, improving the security of their products.” Mr Jack Poon also remarked, “It takes two to tango. Financial institutions’ fintech offerings, which is the supply-side, does not translate into true adoption until consumers use and benefit from the offering. The FAI measures demand-side adoption by surveying consumers. Understanding the consumer’s adoption friction is an essential step to broadening financial inclusion in Hong Kong.” The FAI is a long-term research project to measure the evolution of Hong Kong fintech adoption through different events and market conditions, and will be released on a quarterly basis. The next release will be in December with an expanded scope and more participants achieved through online and offline surveys. For more information on the PolyU-Asklora FAI, please visit https://www.polyufai.org.   *****END*****

PolyU honours eight outstanding alumni

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is pleased to announce that it has bestowed the “Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award 2022” on eight alumni in recognition of their significant achievements in their respective fields as well as their contributions to their alma mater and society. They are fitting testament to PolyU’s accomplishments in nurturing leaders for Hong Kong, the Nation and the world. The Award aims to give recognition to distinguished graduates of PolyU and its forerunners, namely the Government Trade School, Hong Kong Technical College and the Hong Kong Polytechnic. Since its launch in 1996, over 90 graduates have been honoured for great distinction in their chosen fields, active support to their alma mater, as well as impactful contributions to the wider community. This year, achievement categories have been established to celebrate the considerable accomplishments of our alumni in specific areas. Recognition is now also given to outstanding young alumni. Organised at three levels, selection and result announcement of the Department and Faculty/School Awards had been completed prior to the selection of the University Award. Recipients of the Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award 2022, in alphabetical order of last name, are: Ir Dr Goman HO Wai-ming, Arup Fellow and Director of Innovation, Arup Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award in Professional Achievement Mr Peter LAM Wing-chap, Principal Consultant, Business and Networking Consulting Department, Huawei Technologies Company Limited Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award in Professional Achievement Ir Ricky LAU Chun-kit, JP, Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), HKSAR Government Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award in Professional Achievement Prof. Edman TSANG Shik-chi, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry and Director of Wolfson Catalysis Centre, University of Oxford Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award in Scholarly Achievement Recipients of the Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award, in alphabetical order of last name, are: Mr Bayern CHUI Kin-pong, Partner, KPMG China Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award in Professional Achievement Mr James O Hing-pong, Co-Founder and Head of Marketing and Advertising, GOGOX Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award in Entrepreneurial Achievement Dr Gilman SIU Kit-hang, Associate Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award in Scholarly Achievement Dr Bruce WANG Lei, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, EcoFlow Inc. Outstanding PolyU Young Alumni Award in Entrepreneurial Achievement (Please refer to the Appendix for recipient biodata.) The Selection Committee of the University Award was chaired by Dr LAM Tai-fai, GBS, JP, Council Chairman of PolyU. Members included: Professor Jin-Guang TENG, JP, President, PolyU; Mr SIN Yat-kin, SBS, CSDSM, JP, Council Member, PolyU; The Honourable Duncan CHIU, Court Member, PolyU; Dr Miranda LOU, Executive Vice President, PolyU; Ir Eric MA Siu-cheung, GBS, JP, President, Outstanding PolyU Alumni Association; and Ir YAU Kwok-fai, President, Federation of PolyU Alumni Associations. The Award Presentation Ceremony will be held in December 2022.   *****End*****

PolyU honours two distinguished personalities at the 28th Congregation

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held its 28th Congregation today, presided over by PolyU’s Council Chairman Dr LAM Tai-fai and President Professor Jin-Guang TENG. At the Congregation, Honorary Doctorates were conferred upon two prominent figures and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees were awarded to 363 graduates. The ceremony was held at the Jockey Club Auditorium on campus and Professor ZHONG Nanshan, Professor of Medicine at the Guangzhou Medical University, was invited to give a speech. The two honorary degree recipients this year were (in alphabetical order of last name; please refer to the Appendix for the recipients’ biodata): Mr CHEUNG Ka-long, SBS, Gold medallist in Men’s Foil Individual at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics; and Professor YANG Mengfei, Researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology. In his speech, Prof. Zhong Nanshan encouraged graduates to harness their expertise to help promote the Nation’s technological development in key areas, and to contribute to the scientific advancement of Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, the Nation and the world through their research and development efforts throughout the innovation process. This process starts with creativity, discovery and invention, and concludes with the creation of social and economic benefit. He said, “PolyU has put an emphasis on societal impact in its scientific research direction. I completely concur with this strategy.” Prof. Jin-Guang Teng expressed heartfelt thanks to Prof. Zhong for his enlightening speech as well as his tireless efforts and contributions in combating COVID-19. Prof. Teng added that with the concerted efforts of members across society, the pandemic is coming under better control and people’s lives are gradually returning to normality. He also extended his congratulations to the honorary doctorates and doctoral graduates, noting that these graduates have overcome unprecedented challenges during the pandemic and made remarkable achievements. He encouraged them to use their knowledge to serve humanity and fulfil their aspirations. Prof. Teng further said that Hong Kong is entering an exciting new chapter of development as it is being transformed into an international innovation and technology hub, playing an essential part in the Nation’s technological development. PolyU graduates should not only seize this opportunity to make impactful contributions, but also help to address global challenges such as climate change, poverty, the pandemic, energy shortages, and an ageing society. Prof. Teng said, “In all these important ways, PolyU graduates can demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility, applying their research skills for the greater good of society and living up to the University’s motto of ‘To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind’.” The University is conferring academic awards on a total of 10,189 students this year, including 363 Doctor of Philosophy degree graduates, 105 professional doctoral degree graduates, 51 Master of Philosophy degree graduates, 4,962 taught master’s degree graduates, 4,310 bachelor's degree graduates, 56 postgraduate diploma recipients, and 340 sub-degree award recipients.   *****End*****

PolyU shines in the first-ever Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) University Rankings: Sustainability 2023, ranking 82nd globally and 2nd in Hong Kong

In the newly launched QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2023, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) achieved an encouraging result, ranking second locally and 82nd globally among over 1,300 universities. The overall rank is determined by the institutions’ performance in the “environmental impact” and “social impact” categories, each comprising multiple indicators. In the “equality” metric under the “social impact” category, PolyU is Asia’s second highest ranked university. While under the “environmental impact” metric, PolyU demonstrated strong performance in “sustainable education” and ranked 64th globally, and also ranked fourth in “sustainable research” in Asia for this indicator. Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, said, “We are very pleased to be recognised in the first-ever QS World University Rankings on Sustainability. The University has endeavoured to promote sustainable development by advancing research on carbon-neutral technologies while turning our campus into a testbed to realise our research efforts. PolyU will continue to leverage our excellence in research to support the HKSAR Government’s goal of reducing carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.” Mr Simon WONG, Vice President (Campus Development and Facilities) of PolyU, said, “PolyU is highly committed to building a sustainable environment for our staff and students, and we conduct regular reviews on our policies related to sustainability. With the growing importance of sustainable development, we strive to promote positive environmental impacts and create a highly sustainable future for all our stakeholders.” The QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2023 rates over 1,300 tertiary institutions worldwide on how they are taking actions to tackle the world’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges through research, teaching and community engagement. A total of 700 institutions, including six local universities, are listed. PolyU has been at the forefront of addressing sustainability challenges to the society. The recently established Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) strives to provide strategic recommendations and primary research in developing carbon-neutral cities, while the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) also focuses on sustainability-related interdisciplinary research.   *****END*****

PolyU excels in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2023, with five subjects ranking in the global top 100

The academic excellence of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in diverse disciplines has been reaffirmed by the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings by Subject 2023. Among the five PolyU disciplines placed in the world’s top 100, Business & Economics was placed 27th globally and continued to be ranked No. 1 in Hong Kong for two consecutive years, while Engineering took the 40th position globally and was ranked second in the city, rising 11 places from last year’s rankings. In addition, PolyU’s Arts & Humanities was ranked among the global top 100 for the first time, surging to 73rd in the global rankings and ranking second in Hong Kong. Social Sciences and Computer Science were ranked 68th and 79th worldwide respectively. Other PolyU disciplines, including Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Clinical & Health, were also listed in the global rankings. The results reflect the achievement of the University’s ongoing pursuit of academic excellence in education and research, as well as its accomplishment in science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics (STEAM) education. PolyU will refer to such rankings and other forms of assessment to identify areas for further improvement in order to contribute to the betterment of Hong Kong, the Nation and the world. The THE World University Rankings by Subject assessed the performance of research-intensive universities across the world in the following five areas: teaching, research, citations, international outlook, and industry income. For more information on the THE World University Rankings by Subject 2023, please visit https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/by-subject.   Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2023 PolyU’s subjects ranking in the global top 100 Subject Global ranking Business & Economics 27 Engineering 40 Social Sciences 68 Arts & Humanities 73 Computer Science 79   *****End*****

Over 200 PolyU scholars ranked among world’s top 2% most-cited scientists

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has achieved an encouraging milestone of having more than 200 PolyU scholars ranked among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists in the newly released metrics compiled by Stanford University. In addition to having the most top 2% scientists globally in the fields of Building and Construction (13 scientists) and Civil Engineering (16), PolyU has the largest number of top 2% scholars in four other fields in Hong Kong, namely Energy (16), Environmental Sciences (5), Materials (21), and Optoelectronics and Photonics (9). Overall, PolyU has the second highest number of scientists included in the list among Hong Kong institutions. The University has five and seven scientists who are ranked among the top 10 and top 20 scholars in the world respectively in their own areas of specialty, the highest number among universities in Hong Kong. The scholars were named in the latest release of the Stanford University-led compilation of citation indicators covering over 100,000 top scientists. They were grouped into 22 subject fields and 176 sub-fields using the indicators including information on citations, individual’s scientific research output, co-authorship and a composite indicator for career-long citation impact up to the end of 2021. The latest Stanford rankings reflect the significant influence and research excellence of the University’s scientists, who are committed to furthering their knowledge for the benefit of the world.   *****END*****

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University welcomes 2022 Policy Address initiatives on innovation and technology, education, and talent development

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) welcomes the Chief Executive’s initiatives in the 2022 Policy Address that laid out a comprehensive strategy for strengthening Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem, enhancing the talent pool, improving people’s livelihood, and fostering the city’s participation in the Nation’s development. The University is also encouraged by the distinctive role and enormous opportunities for Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” principle, as outlined in the Communist Party of China’s 20th National Congress report. Dr LAM Tai-fai, Council Chairman of PolyU, welcomed and supported the maiden policy address of the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee. He said, “Hong Kong has achieved a major transition from chaos to order, and is now in a crucial stage of advancing from stability to prosperity. The governing beliefs, visions and policy initiatives outlined in the Policy Address will open a new chapter for Hong Kong and bring a better future for our citizens and new opportunities for the city’s development. PolyU will leverage its excellence in education and research to render our full support to the Administration in realising the goals set out in its I&T and talent policies. With the support of the Central Government and the stewardship of the Chief Executive and his new administration, I am confident that Hong Kong’s economy and our people’s livelihood will further improve, our community will be more cohesive and accommodating, and our citizens will enjoy a happier and safer environment. I have high hopes for Hong Kong to integrate more into the Nation’s development and play a role in the rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation. I firmly believe that the cause of ‘one country, two systems’ will flourish.” Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, said, “We are excited by the Government’s new measures which will drive better coordination of upstream, midstream and downstream I&T development; strengthen the leading position of local universities in world-class research; support local universities to accelerate the transformation and commercialisation of their research and development outcomes; attract top global talents and enable young people to reach their full potential. The Policy Address also sets out a further implementation strategy for the development of the Northern Metropolis which will provide enormous space for local universities and I&T enterprises to expand their footprint, supporting Hong Kong and GBA to become an international I&T hub. We are confident that the Policy Address will help Hong Kong capitalise on the enormous opportunity to develop its I&T industry and create more growth opportunities for young people. PolyU will continue to nurture more future talents who possess a strong sense of national identity and social responsibility as well as a global perspective, and will also further strengthen its research and knowledge transfer capabilities to contribute to the advancement of Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and the Nation.” PolyU is pleased to learn that the Government will promulgate the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint within this year, and welcomes the launch of the “Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme” (RAISe+ Scheme) next year to support research teams in universities which have good potential to become start-ups. The PolyU Entrepreneurship Investment Fund, which was set up recently will also support the commercialization of licensed PolyU technologies and the high potential start-ups involving PolyU graduates and researchers, leveraging the resources and expertise of co-investors and partners. Meanwhile, the University has been promoting collaboration among research institutions, academia, and industry in other cities of the Greater Bay Area and beyond, pairing up PolyU’s world-class research with local industrial and market power. PolyU also welcomes the Government initiatives to increase the number of the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded research postgraduate (RPg) places and to uplift the over-enrolment ceiling of RPg places, thus helping universities to cultivate more high-level research talents. PolyU will complement the Government’s policy on strengthening the talent pool, continue to refresh its curriculum, and attract more outstanding students along the Belt and Road to pursue their studies or career in Hong Kong. In the 2022/23 academic year, PolyU has launched a brand-new programme under the Special Talents Admission and Recognition Scheme (STARS) to provide students who have demonstrated remarkable achievements in sports, arts and culture; social services and leadership; and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with quality tertiary education. Ranked the No.1 University in the “Best Universities for Blockchain 2022” list by CoinDesk, PolyU will launch the first BBA (Hons) in Digital Finance and Investment to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness in nurturing fintech talents. PolyU is also actively expanding its campus to provide more teaching and research facilities to nurture healthcare talents, satisfying the growing demand in the community. The Policy Address recommends the relaxation of the Immigration Arrangements for Non-local Graduates by extending the limit of stay from one year to two years to facilitate their staying in or coming to Hong Kong for work; and a living allowance will be provided for research talents with a doctoral degree. PolyU welcomes the new policy and believes that it would help retain talents educated in local institutions. In addition, since the launch of the Global STEM Professorship Scheme, almost a quarter of successful nominations have come from PolyU. The University will benefit from the array of new measures to attract non-local talents in the Policy Address, and will continue to recruit top-notch scholars from around the world. The Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT), recently founded by PolyU, made a submission to the Government earlier on recommendations about developing Hong Kong's I&T sector, fostering a carbon-neutral city, and attracting talents. PReCIT will continue to promote interdisciplinary policy research and provide strategic recommendations for the development of I&T in the Greater Bay Area and carbon-neutral cities. The next five years will be critical to start building our Nation into a great modern country. The Communist Party of China’s 20th National Congress report stated that science and technology is the primary productive force, talent is the primary resource, while innovation is the primary driver of growth. The report also proposed to improve the scientific and technological innovation system and accelerate the implementation of the innovation-driven development strategy, and facilitate implementation of the workforce development strategy with measures to quickly build a world class hub for talent and innovation development. PolyU will leverage its research institutes including the State Key Laboratories; the Chinese National Engineering Research Centres (Hong Kong Branches); and the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), the largest research platform of its kind in the Greater Bay Area, to support the Nation’s drive in new industrialisation and Digital China, its development into a leading player in aerospace and transportation, acceleration of the planning and construction of a new energy system, as well as advancing the goals of peaking carbon emissions and achieving carbon neutrality.   *****END*****

PolyU’s think tank makes submission to the 2022 Policy Address on how to foster I&T development and a carbon-neutral city

The Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) formally submitted recommendations for the 2022 Policy Address during the public consultation period. The submission covers Hong Kong’s innovation and technology (I&T) development and progress towards being a carbon-neutral city, the Belt and Road, and how the higher education system can support Hong Kong’s I&T integration into the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Nation’s development. The key recommendations of the PReCIT are: 1. Strengthening Hong Kong’s Progress as an International Innovation & Technology Hub to Foster the Development of a Carbon-neutral City As a renowned international financial centre that is expanding into the area of green and sustainable finance, Hong Kong can further develop into a global carbon trading centre to attract international capital and meet the huge demand for global transformation funds by supporting the financial ecosystem’s transition towards carbon neutrality. This can be achieved by establishing a real-time carbon tracking and monitoring system, a market-driven carbon emission auction mechanism, and an environmental information disclosure mechanism that complies with international standards. The Government is advised to provide more research funding to local universities to develop carbon-neutral technologies and innovations, and should also strengthen the development of renewable energy and the promotion of green technology and green electric vehicles. Since ongoing geographical tensions may affect European countries’ commitments to achieving carbon neutrality, the HKSAR Government is suggested to monitor the situation closely to ensure that our carbon neutrality goals and market can maintain resilience.   2. Seizing Global Opportunities to Foster I&T Development in Hong Kong In close proximity to the Mainland, a university town in the Northern Metropolis is proposed to foster interdisciplinary research collaboration and communication between universities and the industry across the border, channelling and pooling talents and R&D outcomes for commercialisation, as well as unleashing the potential of the GBA’s economy. The Government is advised to create a favourable environment for attracting global I&T talents and encouraging tech giants to relocate their headquarters to Hong Kong or to build local research laboratories. For the betterment of the I&T ecosystem, the Government is recommended to promote research applications by enhancing collaboration among universities, the five government-funded R&D institutions and industry. The Government should also revamp the current tendering and listed supplier system so as to enhance wider adoption of I&T products from our start-ups into government projects.   The Mainland has a huge market and actively provides space and supportive policies for talents and enterprises. In contrast, Hong Kong has high-level scientific research talents with rich experience in basic research and quality control. Hong Kong and the Mainland could complement their respective strengths and jointly enhance the entire I&T industry chain and promote academic and research collaboration with the Belt and Road countries. Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU and Director of PReCIT, said, “Innovation and technology are the new impetus for Hong Kong’s economy. The 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party commencing today will set the stage for the Nation’s priorities and policies for the coming five years and beyond. I look forward to the supportive policies from the central government and the HKSAR Policy Address that will further reinforce Hong Kong’s development into an international I&T hub. PolyU will be dedicated to driving I&T development in Hong Kong through propelling excellent education and impactful interdisciplinary research.” Prof. Eric CHUI, Co-Director of PReCIT and Head of the Department of Applied Social Sciences of PolyU added, “Talent is the key element for Hong Kong’s I&T development. I look forward to the Policy Address’s new initiatives on the talent pool that will encourage young people to participate in innovation and the Nation’s development, bringing about long-term prosperity to the city.” Founded in 2022, PReCIT is a university-level interdisciplinary policy research centre. The primary areas of its research include carbon-neutral cities, Greater Bay Area I&T development, and the Belt and Road Initiative in Southeast Asia. For more information about PReCIT, please visit www.polyu.edu.hk/precit/. PReCIT 2022 Policy Address Submission   *****END*****