Strengthened Collaboration with the University of Waterloo

PolyU signed a Strategic University Partnership Institutional Agreement with Canada's University of Waterloo (Waterloo), vowing to explore every opportunity to strengthen their collaboration on education, research and entrepreneurship in November 2018. To take this already fruitful partnership to the next level, the two institutions are now eager to support and capitalise on the nation's plans to develop the Greater Bay Area (GBA) into a dynamic economic hub and powerhouse for entrepreneurship and technological innovation. The Waterloo high-level delegation led by its President Professor Feridun Hamdullahpurhas visited PolyU for the first time during 13-14 March 2019. 

Professor Alex Wai, Vice President (Research Development) hosted a welcome luncheon for the UW delegation, during which he jointly presented on PolyU's research achievements & development, entrepreneurship and the Greater Bay Area International Institute for Innovation with Dr Alwin Wong, Director of Institute for Entrepreneurship (IfE). Dr Wong then took the delegation on a tour of the PolyU InnoHub located in the Jockey Club Innovation Tower.

The UW delegation also visited the Industrial Centre, Water and Waste Laboratories and Jockey Club Smart Aging Hub on PolyU campus. After the tour, Dr Hamdullahpur and his UW delegates met with PolyU senior management, including Dr Miranda Lou, Executive Vice President, Professor Ben Young, Vice President (Student Affairs), Professor S. L. Ho, Associate Vice President (Academic Support) and Professor Chetwyn Chan, Associate Vice President (Learning and Teaching), Deans and Heads, for a roundtable discussion about our current and potential collaborations between the two universities, chaired by Professor Philip C. H. Chan, Interim President.  During the meeting, Dr Hamdullahpur, both Presidents also exchanged views on university's key initiatives around knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship, innovation, fintech and allied health.

A milestone in this strategic endeavour was PolyU and Shenzhen University's joint establishment of the GBA International Institute for Innovation (GBA I³) as a platform for international knowledge transfer (KT) and deep tech entrepreneurship along with high-quality innovation and entrepreneurship education. Under its Strategic Partnership with PolyU, Waterloo will now have the opportunity to contribute to this international network of academic institutions, governments and corporations, and in turn benefit from the unique resources of the GBA I³. 

This year, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Start-up Immersion Programme (SIP) will give Waterloo students the chance to develop their entrepreneurial skills and experience Asia's start-up ecosystem and market. With sponsorship generously pledged by PolyU, the SIP will not only strengthen the exchange between PolyU and Waterloo, but also foster an entrepreneurial spirit and cooperation among young people within and beyond the GBA. Few Waterloo students have submitted applications for the round of 2019 and PolyU has also recommended other overseas partners in Germany, Australia, Korea and Japan to encourage their students for participation.

PolyU and Waterloo have also jointly invested in transforming research outcomes into real-world impact. From September 2019, the Startup Postdoc Programme will offer five recent PhD graduates from overseas an intensive 12-24 month package – start-up funding, mentorship, MBA-level entrepreneurship education and much more – to support the commercialization of their research as technology start-ups in the GBA. The two universities are committed to sharing best practices on licensing and commercializing their members' intellectual property. 

Impressive as these achievements are, they are only the first step in PolyU and Waterloo's plans to enrich and deepen their partnership. Students, faculty and staff at both institutions will benefit from joint educational and entrepreneurship exchange programmes, and the universities' synergistic cooperation on the production and dissemination of research will offer endless possibilities for KT, making this historic Strategic Partnership invaluable to the GBA and beyond.