Professor Chung Kwok-fai, Director of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Steel Construction (Hong Kong Branch) and Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has received a Certificate of Merit at the Third National Award for Excellence in Innovation. The Award is a state-level honour in Mainland China for science and technology, which is organised every three years with honours awarded to no more than 300 science and technology talents. Professor Chung is the only recipient from Hong Kong this year.

Professor Chung specialises in research into various structural performance and cost challenges for large steel structures, together with the environmental issue of high carbon footprint in construction. He has conducted cross-disciplinary research in various technological areas, including materials and welding, as well as mechanical properties and structural behaviour of high-strength steel structures, providing solutions for the Nation’s development of its “dual carbon” strategy in construction.

Professor Chung’s research outputs have been applied in several major construction projects, including the double-arch steel bridge of the Cross Bay Link in Tseung Kwan O in Hong Kong and the Quarta Ponte Marítima Macau-Taipa in Macao. This latest accomplishment showcases the capability of PolyU in research and development, ready to contribute to Hong Kong’s development into an international innovation hub.