News

Bitcoin Mining and a Web3 society Can Sustainably Coexist

Prof. Haitian LU and Dr. Sirui Han of the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) discussed how bitcoin mining can contribute to a sustainable world in the letter to the editor of  《South China Morning Post》. Full version at: https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3232556/

PolyU Helps Assess Project Supporting SEN Students

A team led by Prof. Eric CHUI, Co-Director of PReCIT and Head of the Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) Of PolyU, assisted in evaluating the results of the Jockey Club "Project LEGEND" Employment Support Project implemented by the Hong Kong PHAB Association. Positive Responses are received, showing participants’ career development, self-efficacy, and executive have improved with an ambition to become special school teachers.   Online Coverage (Chinese only) : https://news.mingpao.com/article/20230826/1693044725824/

Prof. CHAO Exchanges Views at STIF

Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and PReCIT Director and Prof. Wang Zuankai, Associate Vice President (Research and Innovation) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University shared insights into the application and translation of fundamental research at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Forum (STIF). Separately, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Prof. Sun Dong, said in the forum that the Government intends to fund hundreds of startups fostered by universities in the next five years.   Online Coverage: https://apps.orangenews.hk/common/contentId=1190169 

Hong Kong’s Latest Greenhouse Gas Data Shows Challenges Ahead

Dr Sirui HAN, Assistant Professor (Research) of PReCIT, discussed the city’s progress towards its decarbonization goal in the《 letter to the editor of SCMP》. Quoting the latest official greenhouse gas emissions data, Dr  HAN said that despite HK has achieved a 23% decline in per capita emissions since 2014, the city's total emissions rose by 4% year on year in 2021, underscoring the challenge of reconciling economic development with climate targets. Full version at: https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3231560/  

11 Countries Will be Financially Vulnerable to Climate Change, International Energy Policy Expert says

The “Climate and National Security: Green Development of BRI” seminar, co-hosted by the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology and the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), concluded successfully.  Prof. XU Qinhua, core member of the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology (PReCIT) and Honorary Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences of PolyU, Professor of the School of International Studies and Director of Centre for International Energy and Environment Strategy Studies of the Renmin University of China, shared the impact of climate change on national security with scholars, graduate students, and participants as speaker. She stated that climate change is a multiplier of threats, exacerbating existing national security challenges. It may increase regional resource competition, the demand for military actions, and the severity of humanitarian crises, posing a threat to national stability and security. Prof. XU anticipated that decarbonization pressures would intensify the geopolitical tensions, and 11 countries including India and Pakistan would be financially vulnerable to climate change, leading to increasing risks of unrest and migration, and demand for foreign aid.  

科技及創新政策研究中心首推理大創新科技指數 香港在大中華排名第七 建議增加研發投入及專利申請

報告摘要 大中華三大創新科技地區排名分別為：廣東（第一位）、江蘇（第二位）及北京（第三位）；香港排名第七。 若香港成功實現特區政府早前公布的《香港創新科技發展藍圖》願景，香港的創新科技排名將於 2027 年及 2032 年分別上升至第六及第三位。 全球四大灣區創新科技排名：三藩市灣區（第一位）、東京灣區（第二位）、粵港澳大灣區（第三位）及紐約灣區（第四位）。 加強對社會創新及包容性的關注，以及讓香港更好融入大灣區將有助提升粵港澳大灣區的創新科技排名。 對香港的建議 加大研發投入及鼓勵專利申請 支持創新科技初創企業及建構創科生態圈 留住及吸引創科人才，提升公眾的創新意識 發揮香港策略定位，加快新型工業化 善用綠色經濟，促進創科發展 擁抱數碼經濟，納入創新評估框架 加快融入大灣區，建設國際領先創新科技中心 香港理工大學（理大）科技及創新政策研究中心（PReCIT）今天公布首份理大創新科技指數報告。該指數比較了香港與大中華其他地區以及全球四大灣區的創新科技優勢和挑戰，旨在為香港特區政府提供建議，藉此制定具影響力的創新科技政策，並提升香港的競爭力，以及加快融入國家「十四五」的發展規劃。 （一）香港與大中華其他地區在創新科技方面的比較 在大中華 34 個地區的創新科技排名中，廣東、江蘇和北京位列前三甲，創新科技指數分別為 6.67、5.20 和 4.72。 香港則排名第七，創新科技指數為 3.53，排名受限於研發投入、專利申請數量、創科從業人員及初創企業數量，以及製造業對本地生產總值（GDP）的貢獻分數較低。儘管香港的研發總開支（GERD）佔本地生產總值的比率由 2016 年的 0.74% 上升至 2022 年的 0.99%，但仍低於大中華地區平均水平的 2.4%。 然而，香港在創業投資的平均交易規模及高科技出口分項得分均領先於大中華其他地區，顯示香港作為國際金融中心，擁有自由市場經濟、貿易暢旺和宜居環境的優勢。 研究預測，若香港能夠實現特區政府早前公布《香港創新科技發展藍圖》中的願景，香港的創新排名將在 2027 年和 2032 年分別提升至第六位和第三位。 表一：大中華十大創新科技地區排名 排名 地區 總分 研發 初創企業 人才 產業 影響 1 廣東 6.77 2.03 2.08 1.00 0.46 1.20 2 江蘇 5.20 1.88 1.21 0.86 0.48 0.77 3 北京 4.72 2.22 1.68 0.15 0.14 0.52 4 浙江 4.61 1.66 0.91 0.83 0.46 0.75 5 台灣 4.28 1.65 0.31 1.13 0.48 0.71 6 上海 3.89 1.74 1.03 0.26 0.32 0.54 7 香港 3.53 0.82 1.09 0.29 0.00 1.33 8 福建 3.00 1.37 0.51 0.39 0.41 0.32 9 山東 2.90 1.22 0.30 0.31 0.47 0.60 10 安徽 2.63 1.23 0.33 0.26 0.39 0.42 理大副校長（研究及創新）兼科技及創新政策研究中心主任趙汝恒教授表示：「香港是享譽全球的自由經濟體，但由於公營投資主導研發開支，未能充分發揮其優勢。相比之下，廣東、江蘇和北京則成功優化投資政策，促進民間資本投資當地初創企業。香港需要加大私人企業研發投資，加強內地到香港的創投資金流，以促進金融科技和創新科技生態系統的持續發展。」 理大科技及創新政策研究中心聯席主任兼應用社會科學系系主任崔永康教授續指：「專利數量是衡量創科發展的指標，我們鼓勵香港的研發機構，包括大學和企業，申請專利並參與內地標準的制定，以便更好地配合國家『十四五』規劃。然而，初創企業早期在維護知識產權的成本較高，阻礙企業家維護品牌的獨特經營理念和競爭力，建議政府增加對企業或個人申請撥款的上限，以鼓勵創新和創業，同時加強培育創科人才庫，有利長遠可持續發展。」 （二）粵港澳大灣區與其他灣區在創新科技方面的比較 三藩市灣區和東京灣區分別以 6.99 和 4.07 的指數，高居全球四大灣區中第一及第二位，其次是粵港澳大灣區（第三名，指數為 3.75）和紐約灣區（第四名，指數為 3.14）。 三藩市灣區內的矽谷是全球領先科技公司的聚集地，東京灣區就以先進機械人和電子產業而聞名，紐約灣區則是金融和媒體的樞紐。根據表二，粵港澳大灣區在研發和初創企業分項指數最低，在人才和對社會的影響分項指數則高於其他三大灣區。 表二：全球四大灣區創新科技排名 排名 地區 總分 研發 初創企業 人才 產業 影響 1 三藩市灣區 6.99 2.51 3.00 0.90 0.08 0.50 2 東京灣區 4.07 1.75 0.59 0.64 0.30 0.78 3 粵港澳大灣區 3.75 0.49 0.23 1.24 0.50 1.29 4 紐約灣區 3.14 0.97 1.01 0.75 0.00 0.41 理大內地發展總監兼PReCIT核心成員陸海天教授表示：「為了更好地與其他灣區區分，並鞏固其作為國際金融及創新科技中心的地位，我們建議粵港澳大灣區加強社會創新及包容性，並改善教育和醫療保健的普及性。香港更好地融入大灣區對於提升整體排名至關重要，香港可以利用其作為國際金融中心的優勢，加強與大灣區其他城市的合作，促進互聯互通，推動整體發展。」 理大應用社會科學系客座教授兼智慧城市聯盟創辦人及榮譽會長鄧淑明博士補充：「理大推出首個以互動地圖儀表板（Interactive Map Dashboard） 形式編製的創新科技指數涵蓋部分大中華地區及四大灣區，有利將香港創新科技的協作推至另一高峰，尤其在廣東和香港於 2023 年 3 月簽署《粵港共建智慧城市群合作協議》後涉及新型工業化、數碼經濟和智慧城市方面的交流。」   詳盡報告請參閱（只提供英文版）：https://polyu.me/PolyUInTIndex2023   PReCIT 成立於 2022 年，是大學層面的交叉學科創科政策智庫。中心主要的研究方向包括碳中和城市、大灣區創科發展，以及一帶一路倡議在東南亞地區的發展。

Prof. Christopher CHAO : Hong Kong is Attractive to International Talents

In an interview with The Greater Bay Area Education Think Tank, Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) and PReCIT Director of PolyU stated that Hong Kong offers abundant opportunities for industrial development despite its small area. To commercialise research outcomes, collaboration with cities in the Greater Bay Area and the industrial chain across the nation is crucial. The top-notch local universities could conduct research for the intermediate goods for the industrial chain. He also pointed out that Hong Kong is attractive to international talents for its international city with close proximity to the mainland market in massive demand, making it a significant gateway for Western enterprises to enter the mainland market. However, Prof. CHAO noted that HKSAR government's subsidies for entrepreneurs are insufficient, posing challenges in attracting top talent. To address this, PolyU is actively strengthening international scientific research cooperation, increasing exchange activities, and enhancing Hong Kong's global influence in the research community.  He added that PolyU is preparing to establish multiple research institutes in mainland China to nurture Doctors of Engineer and to boost the number of startups in the mainland, in order to support local economic development and talent retention.   The full version is available at: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/swoGwYq03Ap2  

Architects say the Green Deck is beneficial to the Community

Mr Alex Lui Chun-wan, Project Director of PolyU’s Green Deck Project Management Office, exchanged views on the Green Deck with renowned architects. They all agreed that the Green Deck would be beneficial to the community in various aspects.   More is available at https://www.stheadline.com/society/3261035/    

Future Innovation of Hong Kong Rests on Strategic Decisions

Prof. Haitian Lu, Dr Sirui Han and Ruoxi Li of PReCIT discussed the need for Hong Kong to accelerate its efforts in developing supercomputing in the letter to 《SCMP》.   The full version is available at: https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3230026/research    

APSS Signed a MoU with Vietnam National University and Held a Successful International Conference on Social Work Without Barriers on 1st and 2nd August 2023

The international conference "Make a Difference – Social Work Without Barriers" successfully took place in Hanoi, Vietnam on 1st and 2nd of August 2023. It was organised by the China and Global Development Network (CGDN) of the Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University (VNU). The event attracted over 150 attendees from more than 20 countries, such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand South Korea, and Vietnam. The discussions revolved around advancing social services for social development, with a focus on the ASEAN region. During the conference, the two universities signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on research and student activities in social work. In the presence of witnesses from both universities, Prof. Eric CHUI, Professor and Head of APSS and Co-Director of PReCIT, and Dr Dao TRUONG, Vice-Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, Hanoi, signed a MoU. Deputy Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, Mr Nguyen Van HOI also witnessed the signing ceremony. Prof. Hoang Anh TUAN, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, highly appreciated the partnership with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in the field of social work, thereby benefiting individuals and communities in the ASEAN region and beyond. Amongst other distinguished speakers, Prof. Mona KHOURY from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Prof. Annamaria CAMPANIMI, President of the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), and Prof. Ben KU, Professor of APSS and Director of CGDN, gave their presentations on sustainability and social work education. The conference featured four plenary sessions and twelve parallel sessions. Over 50 presentations were made, covering various topics such as sustainable development in social work training, the role of social work in addressing social issues, managing change in high-risk societies, regional cooperation and development, and social development and welfare worldwide. The impact of climate change on vulnerable groups and the role of social work in promoting sustainable development were also discussed.   Online coverage: University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University: https://ussh.vnu.edu.vn/en/news/characters-events/cooperation0801 Dan Sinh - https://polyu.me/3YgxrBh Nhan Dan - https://polyu.me/4599ttQ Giao Duc Thoi Dai - https://polyu.me/3DHiUoO Dan Tri - https://polyu.me/3KpyzwD