Media Releases

PolyU welcomes the initiatives in the Financial Secretary’s 2021-22 Budget

Professor Jin-Guang TENG, President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), welcomes and supports the initiatives on innovation and technology (I&T) as well as higher education as announced in the Financial Secretary's 2021-22 Budget. He said the Government’s decision of allocating resources to education, social welfare and healthcare, despite the adverse local and global economic situation, will improve people’s livelihoods and contribute to the future development of society. PolyU is grateful to the Government for its funding support to enhance the University’s development in health sciences and health technology studies to cater to the needs of the community. Almost a thousand students graduate from PolyU’s healthcare programmes each year, and the Government’s funding will be utilised to carry out renovation and facility enhancement works to further its development of healthcare teaching. Furthermore, the construction of the academic building on the Ho Man Tin Slope has commenced and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026. The new building will provide over 10,000 m2 floor area, which will facilitate the increase of student places at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and School of Optometry. The University has submitted proposals with world-leading institutions under the AIR@InnoHK and Health@InnoHK research clusters to support the Government’s InnoHK initiative. With the launch of the “InnoHK Research Clusters”, PolyU will establish several laboratories specifically for the development of health technology, artificial intelligence and robotics. The University will also continue to proactively recruit top talent from around the globe and will leverage its world-class research infrastructure to transfer research output into practical solutions for industry through collaborating with both academic and business partners. In view of the Government’s investment in the “Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities” in the past three years, PolyU is of the view that the scheme has helped foster innovation and technology development at the University and promoted an entrepreneurial spirit. Over the past ten years, PolyU has supported more than 300 start-ups and some of them have been successfully commercialised. The University has also introduced the “GBA Start-up Internship and Immersion Programme” and the “GBA Start-up Postdoc Programme” through engaging academic and industry mentors to support PolyU students in the development of I&T and start-ups. The Global STEM Professorship Scheme will help encourage overseas talent to come and work in Hong Kong, thus adding new momentum to the city's I&T development. PolyU believes that the rapid development of technology globally is making huge strides in the domain of emerging technologies, such as life science, materials science, data science, artificial intelligence, and robotics. PolyU will continue to strive for excellence in the research of these areas, and hire top-notch scholars with different expertise to support the sustainable development of teaching, learning, and innovative research in future.   ***** END *****  

PolyU scholar named Most Impactful Author and the University recognised as the World’s Leading Institution in orthokeratology

PolyU welcomes additional funding for promoting virtual teaching and learning

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) welcomes the additional funding launched by the University Grants Committee (UGC) and the Quality Assurance Council (QAC) for universities to promote the development of virtual teaching and learning (VTL). Over the years, PolyU has laid a solid foundation for VTL. In response to this new initiative, PolyU will actively propose innovative solutions, and continue to strive in acquiring more resources to promote the University’s development of VTL. To address the long-term teaching and learning needs, our initial plans include: developing exemplary real-time delivery of online academic programmes and new paradigms of online teaching, as well as initiating VTL-related research. In light of the ongoing pandemic situation, PolyU has been using different online teaching and learning platforms, while constantly upgrading its classroom facilities and providing training and technical support to staff and students to accommodate online and synchronous teaching. PolyU is also committed to digital transformation - some examples include building a teaching and learning centre that supplies e-learning resources, and developing new online teaching solutions, such as using virtual reality (VR) technology in teaching, and establishing Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). PolyU has furthermore dedicated its efforts in developing a number of online science experiment platforms in recent years, including the newly launched “Borderless Lab 365”. The platform enables students to perform real-time science experiments remotely anywhere and anytime, thereby significantly improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning. This innovative platform is not only being used by the students of PolyU, but is also being deployed by various secondary schools. Feedback from teachers and students has been positive, this is a good testament to the competence of PolyU in effectively combining technology with teaching. Professor Wing-tak WONG, Deputy President and Provost of PolyU, said: “The UGC and QAC attach great importance to promoting VTL, which is in line with PolyU’s strategic development. We hope that with this additional funding in place, PolyU can secure more resources to accelerate the progress of VTL, so as to enhance the overall experience and effectiveness of teaching and learning.”   ***End***

PolyU to roll out International Summer School 2021

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is rolling out the International Summer School between 19 July and 16 August 2021. It is a five-week summer programme on the PolyU campus that offers an array of credit-bearing subjects and educational activities for students from different parts of the world to study, learn and explore Hong Kong. The summer programme is now open for applications until 28 February 2021. PolyU’s International Summer School offers a diversified range of intellectually stimulating subjects in three thematic academic areas, namely “Chinese Language, Culture and Society”, “Design, Innovation and Technology”, and “Business, Entrepreneurship and Global Leadership”. Participants can earn credits by attending distinctive courses taught by PolyU professors. They can also select some interesting and experiential classes like Wine Tasting, Elementary Cantonese, Japanese Culture, Artificial Intelligence and Science Fiction. The summer programme furthermore provides ample opportunities for the students to participate in various local field trips and cultural exchange activities like Chinese Kung Fu and calligraphy classes that enable them to discover the vibrancy and diversity of Hong Kong. With the aim of helping the overseas participants blend into the local life and culture, PolyU has a unique Buddy Programme that matches incoming International Summer School participants with PolyU students, thus encouraging intercultural communication between PolyU students and the global community. Since the inception of the PolyU International Summer School in 2016, PolyU has received a lot of positive feedback from previous participants. A student from the United Kingdom applauded that the classes were very well taught and engaging: “It also gave me the chance to connect with many people, both locals and foreigners, and the possibility to learn from new experiences, knowledge and cultures. I felt like I was able to fully immerse myself in the city and university life in Hong Kong.” To learn more about what previous participants feel about the PolyU summer programme, please visit: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/summerschool/about-us/sharings-from-participants/ For more details about the PolyU International Summer School, please visit: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/summerschool/.   ***End***

PolyU awarded funding from the Areas of Excellence Scheme of the Research Grants Council

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is pleased to be awarded funding from the Areas of Excellence (AoE) Scheme 2020/21 (Ninth Round) of the Research Grants Council (RGC). The “Meta-optics, Meta-acoustics and Meta-devices” project, led by PolyU, is one of the four projects receiving funding from the RGC. The approved budget of this project is HK$70 million with HK$65 million to be funded by the RGC and the remaining amount to be contributed by PolyU and the respective collaborating universities.

PolyU to hold Online Info Day for Taught Postgraduate Programmes on 9 January

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to nurturing professional talents by providing a wide range of high-quality postgraduate programmes to meet the ever-changing industry and societal needs. In the academic year of 2021/22, PolyU will offer around 80 taught postgraduate programmes, including the newly launched Master of Business Administration (MBA) in full-time mode, in which students can complete the course and obtain the Master degree within one year. Programmes launched in the 2020/21 academic year, including Master of Science/Postgraduate Diploma in Urban Informatics and Smart Cities, Doctor of International Real Estate and Construction, Master of Science in Medical Physics, Master of Arts in School and Community, as well as taught postgraduate programmes of various disciplines are now open for applications. In view of the pandemic situation, PolyU Info Day for Taught Postgraduate Programmes (Info Day) will, for the first time, move online this year. The online event will be held on 9 January 2021 (Saturday) from 2pm – 6pm, to provide first-hand information and consultations to prospective students regarding their studies. More than 80 information seminars will be organised by the eight Faculties/Schools of PolyU: Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles; Faculty of Business; Faculty of Construction and Environment; Faculty of Engineering; Faculty of Health and Social Sciences; Faculty of Humanities; School of Design; and School of Hotel and Tourism Management. For more details about the Info Day, please visit: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/tpginfoday. For pre-registration, please go to: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/pfs/index.php/481416 Registration deadline: 7 January 2021 (Thursday), 11:59 pm Info Day enquiries: (852) 2333 0600 / arevents.enquiry@polyu.edu.hk For programme details and application procedures, please visit: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/study. As applications received will be considered on a rolling basis, applicants are advised to submit their applications as early as possible.   ***** END *****

PolyU to confer Honorary Doctorates upon Three Distinguished Individuals

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) announced today that the University will confer honorary doctorates upon three distinguished individuals in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the fields of finance, scientific research, education and public health as well as their remarkable contributions to society. The three recipients are (in alphabetical order of surname): Mrs Laura CHA, GBM, GBS, JP, Professor XU Ningsheng and Professor ZHONG Nanshan. Mrs Laura Cha, Professor Xu Ningsheng and Professor Zhong Nanshan are eminent individuals who have made significant contributions to our society and Nation. PolyU looks forward to more in-depth communication and collaboration with them in taking the University towards new horizons in education and research for the benefit of society. Mrs Laura Cha is the Chairman of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, Non-executive Chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and Director of the World Federation of Exchanges. She is also a Non-official Member of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Mrs Cha has extensive experience in the field of financial management and has made impactful contributions to the development of the financial services sector in both Hong Kong and Mainland China. Mrs Cha was the first non-Mainland resident to join the Central Government at vice-ministerial rank when she served as Vice Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission from 2001 to 2004. She previously served as Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC), Chairman of the Financial Services Development Council, Deputy Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission, and Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Corruption of the Independent Commission Against Corruption.

PolyU research reveals that short-term study-in-China programmes promote local university students’ intercultural competence and understanding of Mainland China

Since the reunification of Hong Kong with China, economic and social ties between Hong Kong and the Mainland have become more frequent. Amid the rapid economic growth of our country, more employment and business opportunities are created for young people in Hong Kong. To enhance their understanding of and identification with the Nation, local academic institutions have been organising various exchange programmes between China and Hong Kong. A recent Public Policy Research Project conducted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) revealed that short-term study-in-China programmes enhanced the intercultural competence of local Hong Kong university students. The programmes also positively influenced their perception and attitude towards Mainland China, as well as their identification with the Nation. The findings strongly suggest the importance of further promoting short-term learning opportunities in Mainland China for Hong Kong’s younger generation.

PolyU-developed space instruments complete lunar sampling for Chang’e 5

In support of the Nation’s first lunar sample return mission, a research team at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) developed and manufactured one of the key systems for this historic undertaking, namely the “Surface Sampling and Packing System”, in collaboration with the China Academy of Space Technology. The PolyU-developed system accomplished the tasks of automatic sample collection and packaging on the lunar surface following the soft landing of the Chang’e 5 probe on 1 December 2020. The vehicle carrying the samples is currently on course back to Earth, and is expected to touch down in China’s Inner Mongolia region next week.

Statement by the Heads of Universities Committee (HUCOM)

We welcome the Chief Executive's initiatives for the higher education sector under the 2020 Policy Address which represent the Government's strong commitment to further advancing university education in Hong Kong, especially in terms of attracting and nurturing talent and enhancing teaching, learning and research. We also believe that the new initiatives and measures will provide more opportunities for the younger generation and benefit Hong Kong's long-term competitiveness and development.