Welcome to the 2024/25 academic year at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)! Whether you are a new or returning student, originating from Hong Kong, the Mainland, or elsewhere, I encourage you to aim high and seize the opportunities that lie ahead to achieve your full potential. Our University is fully committed to providing you with a world-class education, impactful research opportunities, and a vibrant campus life that will empower you to thrive in a rapidly changing world.
A New Era of Excellence: Our Enhanced Vision and Mission
This new academic year marks an exciting milestone for our University, since we recently formulated our Strategic Plan for 2025/26 to 2030/31, themed "Unite to Meet Challenges, Innovate to Benefit Society". The six-year Strategic Plan emerged from a year-long process of deliberation, consolidating insights from consultation sessions and engaging staff, students, alumni, as well as Council and Court members. With shared goals, this planning process has enabled us to review and enhance our Vision and Mission statements, aligning them with our latest aspirations and accomplishments in education and research.
I am pleased to share with you that PolyU’s enhanced Vision is “to be an innovative world-class university that pursues excellence in education, research and knowledge transfer for the benefit of Hong Kong, the Nation, and the world”. Our enhanced Mission consists of three components:
i. To nurture socially responsible professionals and leaders with a strong sense of national pride and a global perspective;
ii. To pursue world-leading research and innovation for societal benefits; and
iii. To foster a University community in which all members are united with a strong sense of belonging and pride, empowering the University to scale new heights.
The University’s motto, which reflects our unwavering commitment to societal impact, remains the same as before: “To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind”.
Innovation is at the Heart of PolyU
As reflected in our enhanced Vision, we aim to position ourselves as an innovative world-class university. Innovation has a three-dimensional meaning for us. Firstly, our graduates should be leaders and drivers of innovation. Secondly, our research should lead to innovations with direct societal benefits. Thirdly, the spirit of innovation should be embedded in all our endeavours. By embracing innovation, we can distinguish ourselves from our peers, attract top-tier talent, and strengthen our position as a leader in the global academic community.
Taking Impactful Research to the Next Level
As we strive to drive meaningful innovation that improves lives, industries, and societies, we are evolving our research development strategy for the next decade. In particular, we are embracing a mission-driven approach that fosters collaborative and interdisciplinary research to address pressing societal challenges. Our PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research, also known as PAIR, is the largest research platform of its kind in the Greater Bay Area. PAIR exemplifies this approach by conducting pioneering research and innovation in key areas of socio-economic importance.
To further amplify the reach and impact of our research, we have embarked on a major initiative to establish translational research institutes in various cities across the Mainland. These institutes will focus on conducting high-impact translational research and development work to address the industrial and societal needs of each city. By doing so, they will integrate PolyU into the national innovation ecosystem and contribute to the country's scientific and technological development. I'm delighted to announce that we've secured agreements for 13 translational research institutes, with several of them already launched, and more agreements are in the pipeline.
Enhancing the Academic Journey of Students
In a fast-paced world driven by new technologies, we consider it important to provide our students with the flexibility to adapt to evolving societal needs. This is why, from the 2025/26 academic year, we will transition towards a Faculty-based admission system. The new system will offer an even broader educational base and more flexible progression pathways for students entering PolyU. All admitted students within the same Faculty (or School) will undertake a Common Year One curriculum, establishing a strong foundation for their academic journey. After the first year, students can decide whether to continue with their initial programme choice or switch to another choice within the same Faculty (or School) based on their aspirations and year-one performance.
Growing from Strength to Strength
This year marks the 30th anniversary of PolyU achieving university status, which is occurring at a time when our University is achieving remarkable success. Our record-high ranking of 57th place in the QS World University Rankings 2025 and five of our subjects being ranked among the global top 20 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024 are testaments to our excellence in education and research. I hope these accomplishments will inspire you to excel and reach new heights during your time here at PolyU.
With that said, I wish you all a successful and fulfilling academic year. I am confident that, together, the PolyU community will achieve great things in the year ahead and make a positive impact on the world.
Jin-Guang Teng
President
