News

PolyU’s PReCIT presents Consul General Talk Series

The “Consul General Talk Series” organised by the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) and supported by the Department of Applied Social Sciences and the Global Engagement Office of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) successfully kicked off this month. Mr PHAM Binh Dam, Consul-General of Vietnam in Hong Kong, was invited to speak at the debut of the Series about the opportunities and prospects for partnership between Vietnam and Hong Kong, including synergies on talent pool development. A PolyU student from Vietnam also shared insights into her student life in Hong Kong. Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU and Director of PReCIT, said that young people are the future of the city and a key driver of Hong Kong’s continuing success. Nurturing local youth and seeking global talents are equally important, and PReCIT is committed to contributing to the Government’s policy deliberation in this regard. Mr Pham talked about Vietnam’s prospects to become the 20th largest economy in the world, offering immense potential for cooperation with Hong Kong, especially in financial services, innovation and technology, and human resources. He suggested Hong Kong should tap into the sizeable pool of talents from Vietnam. Through the sharing of perspectives by diplomats in town, the “Consul General Talk Series” aims to serve as a platform for the PolyU community and the general public to gain insights about the latest I&T developments and policies, as well as about the opportunities and prospects in the Belt and Road countries.

Five PolyU projects supported by phase 2 of Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme to enhance psychosocial well-being of different community groups

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has received support for five projects under Phase 2 of the Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme (the Funding Scheme) coordinated by the Advisory Committee on Mental Health, developing innovative social services programmes to benefit the mental well-being of people in the community. The five awarded projects devise sustainable solutions to address the mental health issues of different people, with the application of new technology such as virtual reality and electronic platforms, covering the needs of various stakeholders including caregivers, secondary school students, adolescents with special educational needs (SEN), carers of AD/HD children, and persons with disabilities. The Funding Scheme is being implemented in two phases (i.e. Phase 1 and Phase 2). Phase 1 was launched in 2021. The purpose of the Funding Scheme is to fund projects that could help provide better support to those in need in the community and to raise public awareness on mental health. PolyU researchers are devoted to creating solutions for the betterment of society with the integration of academic, scientific and pragmatic expertise. The five awarded projects are being conducted by the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, with a project duration of 15 to 24 months. Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, said, “PolyU has been working closely with the community to provide impactful and innovative solutions to societal challenges. The funding support received from the Funding Scheme demonstrates the strengths of PolyU’s scholars in transforming research and innovation into social applications for the benefit of society. The awarded projects deliver mental health, social and community support programmes for different communities.” Prof. David SHUM, Dean of the Faulty of Health and Social Sciences, said, “Mental health is an imperative issue that we cannot ignore. Under the impact of the pandemic in recent years, different groups in the community are faced with urgent needs for mental health support. The Faculty of Health and Social Sciences has been committed to mental health research over the years. The funding support combined with our strengths in scientific research and practice will bring impactful solutions for the benefit of various community groups.” PolyU-led projects awarded under Phase 2 of the Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme Project Title Project Summary Principal Investigator Reducing Social Avoidance and Enhancing Prosocial Behaviour among Adolescents with Special Educational Needs The project aims to foster prosocial behaviour of adolescents with SEN in transition with the use of virtual reality technology. It will implement social anxiety intervention based on a cognitive-behavioural approach with a virtual coach acting as the therapist and develop a gamified prosocial VR intervention for adolescents with SEN. This VR-assisted social avoidance and prosocial behaviour intervention would benefit individuals and society by cultivating psychological and socially healthy young people. Prof. Sylvia CHEN Professor of Department of Applied Social Sciences, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences Healing Together – Building Positive School Mental Health in Post-COVID Hong Kong The project aims to promote mental health and its awareness for stakeholders of secondary schools including students, teachers, administrative staff and management. Healing spaces will be constructed in the partnering schools. The programme will adopt a train-the-trainer approach to train students to become mental health ambassadors for programme sustainability and student empowerment. Baptist Oi Kwan Social Services is the collaborative partner of this project. Dr Angel LAI Assistant Professor of Department of Applied Social Sciences Enhancing the Mental Health of Carers of Persons with Disabilities with Support Services Delivered by Trained Carer Support Ambassadors The project aims to support carers of persons with disabilities. It will implement a short-term certificate programme for frontline workers such as occupational therapy assistants, rehabilitation assistants, patient care assistants and welfare workers to become Carer Support Ambassadors who will deliver mental health support to carers. This innovative approach is designed to address the shortage of manpower in mental health services and the growing support needs for carers. Prof. Hector TSANG Professor and Head of Department of Rehabilitation Sciences Increasing Mental Health Literacy and Peer Support among Caregivers: An Electronic Painting and Peer Supportive (EPPS) Platform The project will develop an Electronic Painting and Peer Supportive (EPPS) Platform to provide mental health support for caregivers. It aims to enhance mental health literacy and peer support among caregivers. This electronic interactive platform motivates caregivers to share their paintings with others and seek help from families and professionals when they are stressful. Prof. Angela LEUNG Professor and Associate Head (Research) of School of Nursing Peer Support Virtual Reality-based Intervention for AD/HD Carers - Stress Relieving and Empathy Improving Programme A novel peer support virtual reality-based therapy will be developed for AD/HD carers to reduce their stress and improve empathy in getting along with their AD/HD children. The project aims to provide stress management for the carers to sustain healthy living conditions and relationships with AD/HD children. Dr Harry QIN Associate Professor of School of Nursing  

Two PolyU Projects on Innovative Simulation Platforms for Driving Safety supported by Smart Traffic Fund

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has received support for two innovative projects on improving driving safety by the Smart Traffic Fund. The two projects aim to improve driving performance and safety through the use of an intelligent simulation platform and extended reality to facilitate drivers’ training and skills enhancement. Details of the two awarded projects are below: Intelligent Driving Training and Evaluation System for Container Trucks Led by Prof. Xiaowen FU, Associate Dean (External Engagement) of the Faculty of Engineering and Professor of Engineering Management in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at PolyU, this project aims to develop a simulation system using extended reality technology. The proposed system is also designed to provide training to trainee drivers of container trucks, which is comparable to the actual driving environment, together with an evidence-based driver performance evaluation system to facilitate the design of individualised training. Driving Style-based Adaptive Virtual Training Platform: Build Safe Human Driving Habits in Autonomous Driving Led by Dr Fan LI of the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering at PolyU, this project aims to develop a virtual reality-based training platform. It is designed to improve driving habits in level 2 and level 3 autonomous driving, i.e. human-machine co-driving, with customised training for drivers with different driving styles. Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, said, “We are striving to accelerate research for building a sustainable living environment. PolyU’s innovative research in traffic and transportation, which integrates interdisciplinary knowledge and cutting-edge technology for impactful applications, promotes smart mobility in Hong Kong to improve the community’s quality of life.” PolyU has long been committed to the research and application of vehicle-related innovation and technology, with a total of 11 projects currently receiving grants from the Smart Traffic Fund. More information on other approved projects is available at https://stf.hkpc.org.

1st Carbon-Strategic Catalysis International Conference Drew More Than 350 International Participants with Thoughtful Discussion

The 1st Carbon-Strategic Catalysis International Conference cum Inauguration Ceremony of Research Centre for Carbon-Strategic Catalysis has been successfully completed, with the participation of more than 350 scholars, researchers and professionals in-person and online. Prof Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, delivered the welcome speech for the conference opening. The Hon Hailong SHANG, Legislative Council Member of HKSAR, was invited for the remark. Mr Bryan PENG, Vice President (AI and Data Science) of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, HKSAR Government, was invited as a VIP guest to join the ceremony. International renowned scholars joined the conference to share their research, strategic, conceptual and technical insights towards carbon neutrality goal. During the three days conference, frontier scientists made thoughtful discussion on advanced research, promoting interdisciplinary collaborations and innovations. Dr Bolong Huang, Director of Research Centre for Carbon-Strategic Catalysis and Associate Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology at PolyU, said, “All the talks are very inspiring, constructive, and helpful for the development of our research centre and the future research of us and all on-site and online participants. It has been very fruitful two days because we have learned from all the valuable talks, exchanged our research ideas, and discussed the research advances in various topics of energy, catalysis, and carbon neutrality.” Research Centre for Carbon-Strategic Catalysis was established in June 2022 as the first research centre that focuses on carbon-strategic energy research among Hong Kong universities. It focuses on research for the in-depth exploration of catalysts and their applications in different chemical reactions related to multi-scale energy conversion and supply systems under the carbon neutrality goals. 

PolyU and Jinjiang City to set up joint research institute and commence research projects on industrial modernisation

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the city government of Jinjiang have come to an agreement to jointly establish the PolyU-Jinjiang Research Institute to strengthen research collaboration among industry, academia and research organisations to drive development along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. PolyU’s Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) will collaborate with the Jinjiang Science and Technology Bureau to carry out research projects on leveraging Hong Kong’s resources and advantages in innovation and technology in response to Jinjiang’s industrial modernisation needs. The Jinjiang Science and Technology Bureau will provide funding support for the research. It is expected that the research findings will promote research collaboration between Hong Kong and Jinjiang and facilitate Jinjiang’s industrial modernisation. The signing ceremony of the agreement was held today at the PolyU campus. Witnessed by Dr LAM Tai-fai, Council Chairman of PolyU and Mr WANG Ming-yuan, Mayor of the Jinjiang government, the five-year cooperation agreement was signed by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU and Mr HUANG Tian-kai, Member of the Standing Committee of the Jinjiang Municipal Committee and Minister of the United Front Work Department. Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Director of PReCIT, and Mr CAI Wen-si, Director of the Jinjiang Municipal Government Office, signed an agreement on research projects. Dr Lam Tai-fai delivered a speech at the ceremony, saying, “The Central Government places a strong emphasis on the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong and offers staunch support to collaboration among the government, industry, academia and research organisations. The collaboration between PolyU and Jinjiang city leverages each of our unique advantages to establish a platform for industry-academia-research collaboration, particularly in the fields of textiles, smart manufacturing, integrated circuits, and green technology. This will strengthen the exchange of knowledge regarding innovation and technology, and utilise Hong Kong and PolyU’s resources in I&T to promote the industrial modernisation of Jinjiang.” Mayor Mr Wang said, “Jinjiang is in the midst of industrial transformation and modernisation. PolyU's strengths in talent development and research can be deeply integrated with Jinjiang's industry power and market advantages. We hope to leverage PolyU's research excellence and talent nurturing experience to cultivate more talents in business management, industry and administration. We will also draw upon PolyU’s support in innovation and technology to aid traditional industries such as shoe production, clothing, textiles, and equipment manufacturing. Lastly, PolyU's expertise in innovation and new technologies will support Jinjiang to develop high-tech sectors such as the integrated circuit industry.” The two parties will explore the establishment of the PolyU-Jinjiang Research Institute, which will be planned and managed by PolyU, and Jinjiang city will provide venues, funding, research projects, and subsidies on industry-research collaboration, as well as support for talent attraction measures. In addition, PolyU scholars and experts will visit Jinjiang to facilitate exchange schemes, participate in expert panels for entrepreneurial teams, and attend major planning meetings. Jinjiang city will actively promote the establishment of laboratories for joint projects between enterprises and PolyU, and deepen cooperation in talent nurturing, innovation and entrepreneurship, technological innovation, knowledge transfer, and more. Mayor Mr Wang was accompanied by representatives from the Jinjiang government and executives from companies specialising in textiles and clothing, sports shoes and apparel, food, new materials and household products. They visited PolyU’s Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems, Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, and Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things to learn about the University’s developments in interdisciplinary research and industry-academia-research collaboration.

PolyU research finds transcranial direct current stimulation to be a promising novel treatment for autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder common among children. While the exact cause and cure remain unclear, a PolyU research team integrated clinical, neuropsychological, and neurophysiological research methods to examine the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) treatment on brain function in adolescents and young adults with autism.Results showed that tDCS paired with concurrent cognitive remediation training could effectively improve their social communication skills and cognitive function. Dr Yvonne Han, Associate Professor from PolyU’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, who led the project, says that tDCS is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique for treating major neuropsychiatric disorders. The findings of the study, derived from more than 150 ASD patients aged 14 to 21 years old, confirmed and expanded on previous investigations that reported the positive effects of tDCS. “Most importantly, the findings demonstrated that multisession tDCS, alongside concurrent cognitive remediation training, can significantly reduce core symptoms and promote social functioning in teenagers and young adults with autism. No serious side effects were observed in the study,” Dr Han said. Moving forward, the research team plans to further study how to incorporate machine learning to predict the treatment outcomes of tDCS, the feasibility of home microcurrent stimulation treatment, and the effectiveness of continuous treatment.

AiDLab's Fashion X AI International Symposium

The rapid development of technology in the areas of AI, advanced materials and online retail has created a multitude of innovative opportunities for design practitioners to create, present and commercialise their products. Organised by Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Design (AiDLab), the symposium gathers inter-disciplinary leaders of innovation to explore and discuss how advanced technologies are disrupting the future of fashion. An opening ceremony, with participation of international guests, has been held to commence the symposium.  Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, and Hon. Sunny Tan, Legislative Council Member of the Textiles and Garment functional constituency delivered the welcoming speech and opening address respectively. The symposium conducts in both physical and online formats. Feature topics include: Spray-on fabric as seen on Bella Hadid at Paris Fashion Week; Advanced technology into humanistic design for sportswear; AI for fashion design; and Technology and future materials of fashion and textile industry, etc. Details: https://www.fashionxai.com/internationalsymposium

The 96th PolyU Research Salon Featuring National Natural Science Foundation of China – 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞

The 96th PolyU Research Salon drew substantial interest of researchers to join the discussion on young scientist funding scheme for potential opportunity and benefit.  This sharing session, which was held by RIO on 17 Feb, introduced the details of National Natural Science Foundation of China – Excellent Young Scientist Scheme. Prof. Zuankai WANG, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU delivered the introductory remarks.     Valuable experience and research insights about the funding scheme were shared by: - Prof. Jianhua ZHANG, Executive Dean, School of Microelectronics of Shanghai University; - Prof. Yanfeng ZHANG, Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Peking University; - Prof. Xiangheng XIAO, Professor, School of Physics and Technology of Wuhan University; - Dr Minchen Tommy Wei, Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering of PolyU; - Dr Xin ZHAO, Department of Biomedical Engineering of PolyU

PolyU Project Honored with Grand Prize by 2022 CSCS Science and Technology Awards

The project led by PolyU scholar has received a Grand Award of the CSCS Science and Technology Awards 2022 (Cert. No. 0163 of National Office for Science and Technology Awards (www.nosta.gov.cn), during the opening ceremony of the annual conference of the China Steel Construction Society (CSCS) held on 10 February 2023 in Guangzhou. It is the highest honour of the Awards, and PolyU is the only Hong Kong institution honored. The award-winning project “Basic Theory, Key Technology and International Application of Chinese High Strength 690MPa Steel Structures”, led by Prof. Kwok-fai Chung, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Director of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction (Hong Kong Branch)(www.polyu.edu.hk/cnerc-steel), was successfully completed with academics from Tsinghua University and Imperial College London, and experts from famous consulting and construction companies in Hong Kong, as well as leading steel fabricators and suppliers in China. The project provided a comprehensive solution to innovative applications of high quality Chinese 690MPa steel in construction. With thorough research and development collaboration, advanced predictions on mechanical properties and structural behaviour of S690 welded sections were achieved through integrated experimental and numerical investigations. This allowed minimal or even no penalty in both strength and ductility in these welded sections after welding.  Also, effective design rules became available through rigorous design development and codification. Practically, research results have been applied in a number of construction projects in Hong Kong, such as the completed Double Arch Steel Bridge of the Cross Bay Link in Tseung Kwan O, the long span roof structures of the Kowloon Tsai Swimming Pool, as well as the steel roofs of both the East and the West Stands of the Yuen Long Stadium (both under construction). (Click here to learn more)   

Sinopec Visit to PolyU on Research Innovations for a Better Living Environment

A delegation from the Sinopec Group, led by its Vice President Mr Xizhi Yu, visited the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on 8-9 February to understand PolyU’s latest endeavours in innovation and technology. Prof. Jin-guang Teng, PolyU President, warmly welcomed the delegation and discussed further collaboration on new technology and research development. During the two-day visit, the delegates had fruitful discussions with PolyU scholars from various faculties and schools. The Sinopec delegation also visited the Applied Biology and Chemical Technology Laboratory, Low-carbon Building Technology Laboratory and Photonic Sensors Research Laboratory to better understand how PolyU research has advanced in areas including green technology and materials science. Earlier, PolyU and Sinopec signed a collaborative agreement to give awards to excellent student theses with a focus on topics related to clean energy and a sustainable environment. The awards aim to encourage students’ creative thinking for innovative solutions and technology in order to enhance industry and environmental sustainability. Please click here for the Award details.