News

Prof. Charles WONG receives Smart Traffic Fund for research on enhancing traffic efficiency

Prof. Charles Man-sing WONG, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment, Management Committee Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Associate Director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), has been awarded HK$5.3 million for his project titled “A study on public transport re-routing, with a healthy ‘Wait-to-Ride’ trip mode for optimizing public transportation routes and improving traffic congestion”. The project aims to analyse the routes and stops of road public transportation. A spatio-temporal environmental database will be developed for providing suggestions on reorganising public transport routes in over-served areas with duplicated routes, with the aim of easing road traffic congestion and enhancing the efficiency of the road network. Further reading: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/media/media-releases/2024/0923_three-polyu-projects-supported-by-smart-traffic-fund/   Online coverage: Mirage News - https://polyu.me/47JRrB2

PolyU research projects in advanced manufacturing, new materials and new energy receive funding from RAISe+ Scheme

The Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR government announced the results of the first batch of approved projects under the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme on 28 May 2024. Two research projects led by PAIR members have been awarded RAISe+ funding. They are: Innovation and Technology Field Project Title Person-in-charge Advanced Manufacturing Energy-Efficient Liquid Cooling System for Data Centres Prof. WANG Zuankai Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation), Kuok Group Professor in Nature-Inspired Engineering, Chair Professor of Nature-Inspired Engineering of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) New Materials and New Energy Pilot and Mass Production of Next-Generation Composite Current Collectors for Mobility and Energy Storage Batteries Prof. ZHENG Zijian Chair Professor of Soft Materials and Devices,Professor in the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, Associate Director of RI-IWEAR, Management Committee Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), and Member of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), the Photonics Research Institute (PRI) and the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD).   Inaugurated in 2023, the RAISe+ Scheme aims to provide funding, on a matching basis, for at least 100 research teams from universities funded by the University Grants Committee which demonstrate strong potential to evolve into successful startups. Each approved project will receive funding support ranging from HK$10 million to HK$100 million. Press release: https://polyu.hk/qJTzK   Online coverage: Mirage - https://polyu.me/4bUkSky Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3yLIglU Hong Kong Economic Journal - https://polyu.me/4bBXAjA (subscription required) Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/4aDQKsK Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3R2LFTM Yahoo HK - https://polyu.me/3UUFSkm

MHRC Member awarded HMRF grant to investigate factors of help-seeking behaviours for insomnia

Dr XIN Meiqi, Member of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) and Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, was awarded a grant of about HK$500K from the Health and Medical Research Fund of the Health Bureau, HKSAR, for her project “Understanding professional help-seeking behaviours for insomnia and the associated factors in the community-dwelling older population having insomnia symptoms”. The research is a collaborative project by PolyU and the Department of Psychiatry and The Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Insomnia is prevalent among community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong but most of them do not actively seek help from healthcare professionals. The project aims to investigate the factors that influence the professional help-seeking behaviours among community-dwelling older adults with chronic insomnia symptoms. The findings are expected to help inform the development of evidence-based interventions and programmes to encourage help-seeking behaviours among elders with chronic insomnia symptoms.

PAIR research projects shine in RGC Collaborative Research Fund 2023/24 exercise

In the Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) 2023/24 exercise of the Research Grant Committee (RGC), PolyU has 9 projects granted with a total of HK$55.491 million from the Collaborative Research Project Grant (CRPG), ranking first among Hong Kong universities in the amount of CRPG funding awarded; and 2 projects granted with a total of $9.435 million from the Young Collaborative Research Grant (YCRG). Among them, eight CRPG projects and both YCRG projects are led by PAIR researchers.   Name of PI Title(s) and Constituent Research Unit(s) Research Project Amount PAIR projects supported by CRPG Prof XIA Yong Management Committee Member of RIAIoT Member of RISUD and RCDSE Towards future climate-resilient sea-crossing bridges via intelligent learning of long-term real monitoring data $5,056,919 Prof YANG Mo Member of PRI and RISports High-resolution single-cell multi-omics: Joint profiling of multiple types of biomolecules in the same single cell $6,412,248 Prof CHEN Jianli Member of RILS Multi-sensor monitoring, geophysical interpretation and prediction of sea level rise in Hong Kong $6,567,108 Dr TAN Youhua Member of RISA and RCSV The roles of mechanically heterogeneous local niches within primary tumors in metastatic organotropism $5,985,252 Prof. CAO Jiannong Director of RIAIoT Management Committee Member of RISUD Member of RiFood, RI-IWEAR, RISE, RISA and SCRI Heterogeneity-aware collaborative edge AI acceleration $7,364,305 Prof. WANG Yuhong Member of RILS, RISE, RISUD and RCRE Improving the health and stability of roadside trees in compact urban development through novel road systems and tree root “training” $5,407,780 Dr CHENG King Yip Kenneth Member of RiFood and RCMI White adipose tissue (fat) dysfunction in ageing and its related metabolic diseases: New insights and therapeutic potential $8,166,029 Dr ZHAO Jiong Member of RIAM Scalable two-dimensional polymorphic ferroelectrics towards in-memory processing $4,100,714 PAIR projects supported by YCRG Dr Bolton CHAU Associate Director of MHRC The role of the human frontopolar cortex in complex decision making: Neural network modelling, aging, and enhancement $4,591,504 Dr LIU Liang Member of RIAIoT Sensing in 6G cellular networks $4,843,318

PAIR scholar secures Strategic Public Policy Research Funding to drive cross-regional cooperation in GBA construction industry

A three-year project led by Prof. Geoffrey Q. P. SHEN, Associate Vice President (Global Partnerships), Chair Professor of Construction Management in the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), Executive Committee Member of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) has been granted HK$3.96 million funding under the Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (SPPRFS) 2023/24 of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit. PolyU is the only institution receiving SPPRFS funding this year. The three-year project “Policy Framework for Cross-Regional Cooperation Strategies in the Greater Bay Area’s Construction Industry” aims to provide effective guidance and identify appropriate strategies in three strategic areas—talent cooperation, project management cooperation, and regulatory cooperation—with a view to supporting government departments and the industry in promoting high-quality cooperation within the construction industry across the Greater Bay Area (GBA).    Further reading: https://polyu.hk/QpqDH

Three PAIR research projects receive Green Tech Fund to drive sustainability innovations

Three green technology projects led by PAIR members have received a total grant of HK$14.09 million in the third round of Green Tech Fund of the Environment and Ecology Bureau, Hong Kong SAR. A total of eight projects were approved in this round of exercise, and PolyU is one of the local universities with the highest number of approved projects. The three PAIR projects are: Name of Project Coordinator Title(s) and Constituent Research Unit(s) Research Project Grant Approved Dr LI Meng-jung, Molly Member of RISE and RCRE The first intelligent ammonia-powered zero-carbon versatile-energy supply station, NH3-VESS HK$4,613,800 Dr LEU Shao-Yuan, Ben Management Committee Member of RCRE and Member of RiFood, RISE and RISUD Study of ammonia pretreatment – power generation system toward complete valorization of food waste digestate HK$6,870,100 Dr SHOU Dahua Member of RI-IWEAR, RISE, RISports, RCRE and RCTFF Development of multi-functional building clothing using textile waste for energy saving and waste reduction HK$2,606,000   Further reading: https://polyu.hk/dWgwv   Online coverage: Ta Kung Pao - https://epaper.tkww.hk/a/202401/31/AP65b95a37e4b0eb64da017f6b.html

PolyU tops RGC Research Impact Fund exercise, with five projects led by PAIR researchers

Five PolyU projects have been granted a total funding of HK$20.9 million from the Research Impact Fund (RIF) 2023/24 of the Research Grants Council (RGC). The funded projects are led by PAIR researchers and cover diverse research areas. A total of 14 projects were supported in this year’s exercise, and PolyU has the highest number of funded projects among local universities. The RIF supports universities to undertake impactful and translational research projects, and to develop research collaborations with government departments, business and industry, and research institutes. Successful projects are granted funding of up to HK$10 million per project for a period of three to five years. Funded PolyU projects include: Project Project Coordinator Development of Bacterial Pseudaminic Acid-based Vaccine to Combat Infections Caused by Multidrug Resistant Bacteria Prof. CHEN Sheng Member of the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), and Head and Chair Professor of Microbiology of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition Digital Twin-enabled Intelligent Assessment and Maintenance of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures in a Life-cycle Context Prof. ZHU Songye Leading Member of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) and Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Associate Head and Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering An AI-enabled Geospatial Platform for Smart Facility Management and Smart Mobility of People with Disabilities Dr LIU Xintao Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), RISUD, Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), and Associate Professor in the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics Durable Low-carbon Asphalt Pavement Built with Recycled Waste Polyolefin Plastics through Reactive Extrusion Prof. LENG Zhen Associate Director of the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), Member of RILS and RISUD, and Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Developing a New Generation of Pressure-controlled Wearable Soft Braces to Improve the Efficiency and Compliance in Treating Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Prof. YIP Yiu-wan Joanne Management Committee Member of RiFood, Member of the Photonics Research Institute (PRI) and the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Associate Dean and Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles   Further reading: https://polyu.hk/XEMQd Online coverage: Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/3tLzkeg (subscription required) Headline Daily - https://polyu.me/3RLVntk GBA Biz Tech Magazine - https://polyu.me/3Ubl0Xx Net Ease - https://polyu.me/47sx7lR  

RILS project supported by CEPU’s Public Policy Research Funding Scheme

A project led by Prof. WANG Yuhong, Member of the Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), was awarded a funding of HK$775,100 under the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (PPRFS) 2023/24 (First Round) of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit (CEPU). The project “How to Effectively Implement Nature-Base Solutions (NBS) in Urban Development and Urban Renewal – A Comparison Study of Policies between Hong Kong and Leading European Cities” lasts 23 months and is granted the highest funding amount in this cycle. The PPRFS aims to support projects of smaller scale and shorter duration that that will inform the Government’s policy making process, drive changes, keep up with national development and international trends, and contribute to policy development. Reports from supported projects may be used as reference by relevant policy bureaux or departments in policy formulation and review process. Online coverage: Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3ue9BLo (Chinese only)

MHRC members join healthtech project to improve mental health care

A healthtech project joined by three members of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC), titled “Integrated innovative artificial intelligence, and genomic and biomedical technologies in healthcare: Objective diagnosis, personalised therapy and determination the etiology of major mental disorders”, was awarded HK$37 million funding from the Strategic Topics Grant 2023/24 of the Research Grants Council (RGC).   The five-year project is led by Prof. ZHANG Weixiong, Chair Professor in Bioinformatics & Integrative Genomics in the Department of Health Technology and Informatics and the Department of Computing. The research team is joined by three MHRC members from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences: Associate Professor Dr Sonata YAU is the Co-Principal Investigator, while Assistant Professors Dr Georg KRANZ and Dr Jessie LIN are the Co-Investigators. The project aims to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), genomic, biomedical and neuroimaging technologies to provide an innovative and integrated strategy for the diagnosis, treatment planning and understanding of major mental disorders. The AI-based, data-driven solution to be developed from the project will help improve the efficiency of diagnosis and treatment planning in mental health care. Further reading: https://polyu.hk/zoBrw

MHRC member awarded HMRF grant to develop digital mindfulness-based eating intervention for weight management

Dr Dalinda Isabel SANCHEZ VIDANA, Member of the Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) and Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, received a HK$1 M grant from the Health and Medical Research Fund of the Health Bureau, HKSAR, for her project “Digital mindfulness-based eating awareness training for obesity management: A randomised controlled trial”. The project aims to design a digital Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT) and evaluate its effectiveness as an intervention for obesity management. The digital MB-EAT to be developed can be integrated into telemedicine or mobile app platforms, allowing users to administer so easily. Participants receiving the digital MB-EAT will be studied for their changes in eating behaviours, appetite-regulating hormones, stress and mood. The study will provide empirical evidence for the use of digital MB-EAT in addressing overweight and obesity in Hong Kong.