In 1995, International Strategic Technology Alliance (ISTA) was founded with the support of the Ministry of Education of China to leverage the collective technology capabilities of PolyU and 14 renowned Chinese tertiary education institutions for applied technology development and commercialisation. Through continuous collaboration and networking development, ISTA has extended its membership to 31 institutions and 6 individuals across Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, the UK and the USA, with the following missions:
- To draw together research capabilities of top universities in China and abroad to provide diversified and competitive technologies, products, and knowledge for the industry, and facilitate close partnership between the industry and ISTA members.
- To promote the exchange of best practices amongst its members and strengthen their international networking and collaboration.
- To enhance close partnership among its members promote intellectual exchange and improve academic performance and quality of applied research.
- To foster self-organized or contract-based research, consultancy activities and commercialization of research output and patented technologies.
