In 1994, I joined The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and then served it over the next 25 years in a range of roles. Having witnessed and taken part in the development of PolyU over the decades, it was a great privilege for me to take up the presidency of the University on 1 July this year and to carry through the many critical responsibilities ahead.

Over the past 80 years, our education and research efforts have been closely linked to Hong Kong’s social and economic development. The faculties and schools of the University have been instrumental in developing the talent and technologies needed to meet the changing needs of business and industry.

In my new role as president, I pledge to make every effort to fulfil PolyU’s mission and turn our vision into reality. It is our belief that the role of education is to equip the next generation with the professional knowledge and skills needed to change the world for the better and instil positive values in them.

Through the dedicated efforts of our staff members, PolyU is able to offer a world-class professionally-oriented education to tomorrow’s leaders and professionals. We also provide them with a strong sense of social responsibility, skills in critical thinking and effective communication as well as the ability to innovate.

Ranked among the top 100 universities globally, PolyU is already a world leader in a significant number of disciplines. However, we should continue to develop our other strengths. To achieve this goal, we have been recruiting top talent from around the globe and continue to enhance our research capabilities. Furthermore, we should be seeking to expand our research collaborations and industry partnerships, particularly in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics.

An example of how PolyU is making an impact on topnotch research was our important contribution to China’s historic Chang’e-4 landing on the far side of the moon. PolyU’s experts supported this mission by creating the lunar topographic mapping and geomorphological analysis technique that made it possible to select a landing site for Chang’e-4. Our researchers also developed an advanced. Camera Pointing System for capturing images of this mysterious side of the moon.¹

Beyond these achievements, the University has made healthcare one of its research priorities. Under the 2018/19 Research Impact Fund of the Research Grants Council, 10 PolyU-led projects were awarded a total of HK$65 million, or one-third of all grants in terms of both funding and number of projects. Half of the projects are related to healthcare, such as drug development, scoliosis treatment, myopia control and food safety.²

Meeting pressing societal needs is another focus of PolyU’s research. Over a period of three consecutive years, we have obtained funding under the University Grants Committee’s Theme-based Research Scheme for projects in photochemical air pollution, new non-corrosive materials for marine structures, as well as a fire prevention and urban smart firefighting system. The findings of these research projects will be of great importance for a sustainable future.³

We are not just leveraging our own expertise and resources, but also pooling them with those of other renowned universities and institutions to effect positive change. Our researchers have been forming partnerships to pursue health and AI related research projects that will position Hong Kong as a leading hub for global research collaboration. Examples of these partnerships included the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Royal College of Art in the UK to establish the first-of-its-kind AI design laboratory, and the collaboration with the University of Waterloo to set up a global centre for eye research.

Recognising the enormous potential of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0), we established a number of strategic partnerships during the year. Among these was an agreement with Alibaba Cloud to conduct AI research in areas such as smart cities and smart healthcare. The University has also teamed up with top institutions such as Imperial College London to advance research in areas that include robotics technologies associated with ocean exploration.⁴ In addition, our Faculty of Engineering signed a Statement of Intent with the Hong Kong Electronic Industries Association to establish an AI Laboratory and build one of the world’s fastest AI supercomputer platforms.

All of these exciting achievements have been made possible by the concerted efforts of our academics and researchers. I would like to thank all members of the University involved and, in particular, my predecessor Prof. Timothy W. Tong and Interim President Prof. Philip C. H. Chan for their valuable contributions over the years.

I look forward to working with all staff, students and alumni in the year ahead. With their support, I am certain that we can keep up the positive momentum of the past years and continue to make further breakthroughs.