News

Prof. CAO Jiannong gives keynote speech at global blockchain summit

Prof. CAO Jiannong, Director of the Research Institute of Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), Dean of the Graduate School, Director of the University Research Facility in Big Data Analytics, Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing and Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science, delivered a keynote speech on decentralised data infrastructure for Web 3.0 at the 9th Global Blockchain Summit 2023 held in Shanghai. Prof. Cao said that Web 3.0 is marked by three characteristics: de-platforming and decentralisation—a single centralised platform will no longer be needed to control and manage user information; user data ownership—users will have complete control over their own information and identity; and tokenisation—the values of user-generated data and contents can be expressed in the form of tokens. He also pointed out that, the Web 3.0 environment can drive many innovations. Innovations in high application layers including decentralised finance (DeFi), finance gamification (GameFi) and social finance (SocialFi), are all about decentralised finance, i.e., the use of blockchain, smart contracts and digital identities to remove the unnecessary intermediate channels in traditional finance. GameFi and SocialFi apply the concepts and technologies of decentralised finance to games and social platforms respectively.  In addition to innovation at the application level, Web3.0 can also drive organisational, social and economic innovation.   Online coverage (Chinese only): Zhihu - https://polyu.me/3ZnxNXl China.com - https://polyu.me/3PKLUCD East Money - https://polyu.me/48mmi6m

Prof. CHEN Wu gives speech at APAS Forum on Beidou Satellite Navigation System Technologies

Prof. CHEN Wu, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), Management Committee Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, delivered a keynote speech at the APAS Forum on Beidou Satellite Navigation System Technologies on 18 September. The Forum brought together experts and industry leaders to discuss on the opportunities and challenges in the application of Beidou satellite navigation system in smart cities and digital economy.   Online coverage (Chinese only): Sohu - https://polyu.me/3LsujwT China News - https://polyu.me/45WiDut

PAIR and China Resources foster interdisciplinary dialogue at PAIR Salon

The PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) and the China Resources Research Institute of Science and Technology (CRRIST) jointly organised the PAIR SALON (“the Salon”) at Hong Kong Science Park on 31 August 2023. The Salon, themed on “Interdisciplinary Dialogue”, aims to encourage PAIR researchers and industry to collaborate in the forthcoming Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme (RAISe+ Scheme), a HK$10 billion initiative by the HKSAR government to provide matching funding to at least 100 university research teams with good potential to become start-ups, with an aim of promoting the transfer and commercialisation of R&D outcomes by university research teams. The RAISe+ Scheme will be launched in fall this year, and local designated universities including PolyU will be eligible for application. The Salon started with welcome speeches by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, and Mr LI Nan, Vice Dean of China Resource Research Institute of Science and Technology. Next, Mr Kelvin WONG, Director of Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office of PolyU introduced the RAISe+ Scheme. It was then followed by presentations by 22 PAIR members, sharing PAIR’s research progress and outcomes in various fields, including textile technology, energy technology, optical communication, civil infrastructure engineering, urban informatics, traditional Chinese medicine, logistics, mental health and medical imaging, etc. Attendees coming from different sectors also exchanged views and ideas with fruitful outcomes. The Salon was concluded with a closing remark by Prof. LI Li, Associate Director of PAIR. Launched in February 2023, the PAIR SALON is an initiative to provide a platform for closer exchange between academia and industry, with a view to encouraging university-industry research collaboration and facilitating knowledge transfer.

VP(RI) visits Hubei vice governor to tap opportunities for PolyU–Hubei research collaboration

Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU visited Hubei province to meet with the Vice Governor of Hubei Province, Mr SHAO Xinyu on 18 July. The two parties had a fruitful exchange of views on strengthening PolyU–Hubei collaboration in basic research, translation of research outputs and talent development. Mr SHAO mentioned that Hubei and Hong Kong’s collaboration has a solid foundation and promising prospect, and has continuously achieved new progress and results in the field of education and technology in particular. Hubei firmly supports Hong Kong universities for collaboration, and looks forward to deepening collaboration with PolyU on application-oriented works in building an advanced innovation and technology platform, and promoting industry, innovation and talent chains. Prof. Chao said that PolyU is committed to bridging research and industry with basic research. He hoped to deepen collaboration with Hubei, connecting PolyU’s research to the industry needs and strategic developments in Hubei, thus achieving complementary advantages and a mutual win-win. Online coverage: Hubei Daily - https://polyu.me/3OjaOJ0 (Chinese only)

PAIR hosts Research Salon to brief PolyU community on strategic R&D in quantum technology

PAIR hosted a Research Salon “Quantum Technology – The Game Changer” for the PolyU community on 11 July 2023 on campus. At the salon, attendees learned about the University’s latest strategic research and development plan on quantum technology, as well as the current development, challenges and applications in the field. The event featured presentations by faculty members from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), including Prof. LIU Ai-qun, Chair Professor of Quantum Engineering and Science, Prof. CHAU Lap-pui, Global STEM Scholar, Prof. Alan LAU, Professor and Dr Jovie ZHANG, Research Assistant Professor, as well as Dr ZHANG Guofeng, Associate Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics (AMA). Participants had a fruitful exchange and provided valuable and constructive feedbacks for PAIR and PolyU’s future development in this field.

Director of RIAIoT shares insights on development of artificial intelligence of things

Prof. CAO Jiannong, Director of Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), Dean of Graduate School, Associate Director of University Research Facility in Big Data Analytics, Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing and Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science, shared his insights on the development of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) at the BOE Innovation Partner Conference (BOE IPC) held in Beijing on 29 June 2023. Prof. Cao explained that AIoT has become an important infrastructure in the era of digital economy. Distributed collaborative intelligence has been playing an indispensable role in the paradigm shift from IoT to AIoT. It promotes the development of single-node intelligence towards multi-node intelligence, thus leading the society towards a smart era.   Online coverage: Sina - https://polyu.me/447qt3q (Chinese only)  

RCDSE showcases “Moon | Mars VR” at 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair

The “Moon | Mars VR” interactive exhibit developed by Prof. WU Bo, Associate Director of the Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE), and his team, is currently being showcased at the 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair.  The VR system creates a three-dimensional virtual environment of the landing sites of Chang’e-4 lunar mission and Tianwen-1 Mars mission.  Through the system, the public can enjoy a spacewalk simulation experience.   Online coverage: Ta Kung Pao -https://polyu.me/3NoIC7d https://polyu.me/463Gau6 People.cn - https://polyu.me/3MRthul Xinhua - https://polyu.me/3MUV1ye Shenzhen Economic Daily - https://polyu.me/3XaoBod Shenzhen Special Zone Daily - https://polyu.me/45Pt97b Shenzhen Evening News - https://polyu.me/3qyUo5W China Cultural Media Network - https://polyu.me/3NhzJMv East Money - https://polyu.me/42wh5F3 Sina - https://polyu.me/3OVzyaY Guangzhou Daily - https://polyu.me/42zDQI4 Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/42u5kPu  

Prof. John SHI Wenzhong introduces SCRI developments at Zhongguancun Forum

Prof. John SHI Wenzhong, Director of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart City Research Institute (SCRI), shared the developments at SCRI at the “International Forum on Beijing–Hong Kong Scientific and Technological Innovation” in the “2023 Zhongguancun Forum” held in Beijing, China, on 29 May 2023. He shared the Institute’s developments in scientific research and academic exchange, and introduced SCRI-developed innovative technologies such as COVID-19 status and risk prediction platform, smart city digital infrastructure, mobile laser scanning system, AI-enabled satellite imaging, and building recognition technology.   Online coverage: Global Times - https://polyu.me/43yRxbd

RIAIoT Leading Member shares insights on GBA talent flow to innovate national strategic development

At the Taihu Talent Summit 2023, Prof. GUO Song, Leading Member of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), shared his insights on how Hong Kong’s potential to contribute to national development by participating in the construction of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and Taihu Bay joint talent hub, technological innovation and industry-academia-research collaboration. Prof. Guo emphasised the significance of the strategic talents pool construction to meet critical national and strategic requirements, dedicating to fundamental research and innovations.  He also highlighted the importance of developing core technologies in the fields of 5G/6G networks, edge-cloud computing, AI infrastructure and ecology, as well as building high-level professionals and innovative teams.

ADoRIAM shares insights on AI foundation models at big data expo

Prof. George Q. HUANG, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM), shared his insights on the development of AI foundation models at the 2023 China International Big Data Industry Expo held on 25 May 2023. He stated that to truly enable big data analytics, the construction of foundation models requires high-quality big data that are obtained from large-scale data collection and refinement.   Online coverage (Chinese only): China News Service - https://polyu.me/3MDrI37 Guiyang Daily - https://polyu.me/3ozQg4M Sina - https://polyu.me/42YBZ0B Sohu - https://polyu.me/3OG5Y9s