PolyU has been striving to establish strategic partnerships with industry leaders to translate research into impactful real-world solutions that benefit society. A notable example is the recent strategic cooperation agreement with Huawei Cloud Hong Kong (Huawei Cloud), aimed at accelerating the global commercialisation of research outcomes. This partnership will deepen collaboration in building an innovation ecosystem that encompasses research, teaching, incubation, and global outreach, marking a significant milestone for the University in advancing industry-academia-research collaboration.

Witnessed by Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU; Mr Sunny Shang, President of Huawei Cloud Asia Pacific; Ms Amy Lung, Court Member of PolyU; and Mr Yu Liang, Vice President of Huawei Cloud Global Ecosystem, the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Mr Kelvin Wong, Director of Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office (KTEO) of PolyU, and Mr Jason Zhang, Managing Director of Huawei Cloud Hong Kong.

Through their collaboration, both parties will focus on three strategic areas, including the transformation of research outcomes, co-building an Asia-Pacific incubation platform, and nurturing talents. By leveraging Huawei Cloud’s ecosystem and resources, they will drive innovation in artificial intelligence, medical technology, and communications technology. The co-creation of an Asia-Pacific incubation platform will empower high-potential PolyU startups to access regional markets. Additionally, PolyU has already partnered with relevant government departments in Singapore, becoming the first university from Hong Kong to establish an incubation base there.

PolyU’s strong capabilities in the commercialisation of research outcomes are evident in its establishments of over 120 startups, with six PolyU-affiliated startups having received government funding since the introduction of the RAISe+ Scheme in 2023. The collaboration between PolyU and Huawei Cloud will further accelerate the commercialisation of high-impact research through co-developing AI-integrated curricula, embedding cloud-based AI tools, and Huawei’s certification system, thereby enhancing the practical and translational skills of students and researchers.

As an extension of this partnership, PolyU participated in the panel discussion titled “Building a Diverse Ecosystem Where Developers Thrive Together” at the Huawei Developer Conference, alongside esteemed institutions such as Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. The discussion centred on innovative models for transforming research outcomes and nurturing talent. Following this, the Huawei Developer Competition 2024 Global Awards ceremony celebrated LifeSparrow, a startup incubated by PolyU and founded by two graduates from the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering, as the only Hong Kong team to win the top prize. This achievement underscores the collaboration’s impact and highlights PolyU’s commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in the region.

Mr Kelvin Wong, Director of PolyU’s KTEO (3rd from left) participated in the panel discussion “Building a Diverse Ecosystem Where Developers Thrive Together”.

At the Huawei Developer Competition 2024, LifeSparrow, a startup incubated by PolyU, won the top prize.