Knowledge transfer, the sharing and passing on of insights, skills, expertise and technologies across entities, is fundamental to research development and impact. PAIR’s knowledge transfer takes many forms, from consultancy, engagements, collaborative projects and publications to research commercialisation. The interactions among PAIR researchers—and between PAIR and external communities—help elevate innovations, inform good practices and transform research into practical solutions, bringing valuable benefits to PAIR’s overall interdisciplinary programme.
Issue 14 provides a glimpse of the diverse activities at PAIR involving the flow of ideas and diffusion of technology. In February, the PAIR International Advisory Committee (IAC), which comprises leading scientists and engineering experts from external universities and organisations, gathered for a two-day meeting, providing invaluable insights and perspectives on PAIR’s strategic development. In March, PAIR hosted its inaugural Public Forum for Research and Innovation, enlightening an audience of over 1,000 on generative artificial intelligence innovations that have made AI development more accessible and less dependent on massive centralised computational resources. The News & Events section provides further details about the noteworthy events at PAIR as well as our latest external collaborations in phytonutrients research, drug development and the upcycling of food waste.
Collaboration, be it in the form of interdisciplinary research, university-industry partnership or cross-border cooperation, is integral to unleashing universities’ research impact. The Feature Stories section offers the perspectives of three renowned scholars on research collaborations. PAIR Senior Fellow Prof. Iain McCULLOCH of Princeton University explains the importance of a versatile, collaborative culture for research translation and commercialisation. PAIR IAC Member, Prof. CUI Zhanfeng of Oxford University delves into the increasing trend in global universities’ research collaborations with China. Prof. FAN Jintu, Director of the Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF), describes recent PolyU developments that are propelling China’s textile and fashion industries forward through the transformation of textile technology research.
Last but not least, the Research Achievements section and People section include our researchers’ latest breakthroughs and accomplishments in the fields of ferroelectrics, health, energy, hydroclimatology, computing, hydraulics environmental engineering and more. Our latest episode in the PAIR Research Impact Video Series is now available. I encourage you to watch our video to learn how the novel electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction system developed by PAIR researchers contributes to carbon neutrality by converting greenhouse gas into raw material for plastics. Thank you very much. I hope you enjoy reading Issue 14.
Prof. CHEN Qingyan
Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
