PolyU welcomes Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint directions and key strategies; Leading Hong Kong to realise its vision as an international I&T centre

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) welcomes the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology (I&T) Development Blueprint promulgated today by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau. The Blueprint sets out four broad development directions and eight major strategies with recommendations on policies and support measures in order to enlarge the local I&T talent pool, enhance Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem, promote the development of Hong Kong into a smart city and proactively integrate Hong Kong into the overall development of the Nation.

PolyU has long been committed to nurturing I&T talents, fostering research and development (R&D) and transforming research outcomes into real-world solutions. The Blueprint will further leverage the leadership position of Hong Kong institutions in upstream R&D and form a complete I&T ecosystem together with the midstream and downstream sectors.

Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, said, “The Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint sets out to consolidate Hong Kong’s R&D strengths and reinforce the capacity of universities to conduct breakthrough research. It also recommends a series of measures to strengthen support to universities’ basic research activities and facilities, as well as their efforts to transform and realise R&D outcomes, thereby bringing new impetus to the city’s I&T development. The Blueprint further introduces policies and measures critical for Hong Kong’s future development, including the increase of R&D expenditure, and the provision of land and research space for Hong Kong’s I&T sector at the ‘new international I&T city’ in the Northern Metropolis. As a global top-100 university, PolyU has been committed to fostering world-class research and innovation for the benefit of society and the Nation. The University welcomes and supports the directions and measures in the Blueprint. PolyU will also proactively promote an I&T culture in the city and contribute to the enhancement of the overall I&T atmosphere in the community.”

Talent is the key to promoting I&T development. The Blueprint sets out strategies to enrich I&T talent resources and develop an international talent hub. Aligning with the Blueprint's strategies, PolyU will continue to refresh its I&T curriculum by introducing departmental scheme-based admissions, and adding two elements, namely Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics (AIDA) and Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IE), to the curriculum starting this academic year. Ranked the No.1 University in the “Best Universities for Blockchain 2022” list by CoinDesk, PolyU will launch the first BBA (Hons) in Digital Finance and Investment in the next academic year to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness in nurturing fintech talents. PolyU welcomes the Blueprint strategy on nurturing and attracting I&T talent, especially the allowance and accommodation support for young scholars. The University believes that this move will help to retain local university talents. Furthermore, through the Global STEM Professorship Scheme, PolyU will attract top-notch international scholars to come to Hong Kong to participate in teaching and research work. PolyU has so far taken up 25% of successful nominations to attract international talents through this scheme.

The National 14th Five-Year Plan fully supports Hong Kong's role as a bridge connecting the Mainland and the world. The Blueprint proposes a series of measures to deepen I&T cooperation with the Mainland and to proactively integrate Hong Kong into the overall development of the country. PolyU has been supporting key national development goals through partnerships with the Mainland universities, research institutions, governments at various levels and enterprises in the Mainland in areas such as aviation and aerospace, biomedical technology, advanced manufacturing, new materials, artificial intelligence, communications networks and new energy, as well as fostering talent development and I&T collaboration. As the only Hong Kong institution involved in China’s space projects, PolyU will also continue to actively participate in interdisciplinary research projects in the Mainland and overseas through the InnoHK Research Clusters, State Key Laboratories and other research institutions to extend its global I&T collaboration network.

PolyU is committed to fostering knowledge transfer and supporting university academics in innovation and entrepreneurship. The University welcomes the “Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme” launched by the Hong Kong SAR government to help the R&D teams of local universities to commercialise their research outcomes into solutions. PolyU has nurtured more than 450 start-up enterprises, including the establishment of 230+ social/design/business innovation start-ups, the facilitation of 220+ technology start-ups, and the cultivation of four unicorns. To further drive innovation in industry development and transform PolyU’s research outcomes into real-world solutions, PolyU will encourage scholars to conduct exchange and collaborate with different provinces in the Mainland, and establish translational research institutions or centres to leverage PolyU’s research and translational capabilities for addressing local industry needs for transformation and innovation.

The PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), probably the largest research platform of its kind in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, will make impactful contributions to the development of new industrialisation and the digital economy in Hong Kong through interdisciplinary research and the development of applications in cutting-edge areas including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, carbon neutrality, deep-space exploration, gerontechnology, smart cities and smart energy.

Looking forward, through its new I&T think tank, the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT), PolyU will contribute interdisciplinary policy research in the areas of carbon-neutral cities, the Greater Bay Area’s I&T development, and the Belt and Road Initiative development in Southeast Asia, to dovetail with the National 14th Five-Year Plan in supporting Hong Kong to develop into an international I&T centre.

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