During a recent visit, a high-level delegation led by Dr Wu Yan, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Education, commended PolyU’s innovative research and industry-academia integration. The group gained insights into the University's latest developments, particularly its achievements in knowledge transfer related to artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare technology. Dr Wu welcomed closer collaboration between PolyU and mainland cities, as well as national research institutes, to accelerate the translation of research into practical applications benefiting both regions.

Accompanied by Dr Lam Tai-fai, PolyU Council Chairman; Professor Jin-Guang Teng, President, and other members of senior management, the delegation visited the University's AIR Lab, where PolyU scholars demonstrated an impressive array of healthcare and AI innovations.

Medicine meets engineering

At the meeting, Dr Wu Yan highlighted ongoing efforts to establish regional technology transfer centres nationwide, with plans to develop a network in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) that leverages Hong Kong’s strengths. He noted PolyU’s widely recognised achievements in collaboration between industry and academia, particularly in medicine-engineering integration, and successful examples in ophthalmology, drug development and rehabilitation robotics. He noted that the Nation is promoting “New Engineering, New Medicine, New Agriculture, and New Liberal Arts 2.0,” incorporating AI to transform traditional industries and develop new disciplines. PolyU has excelled in facilitating medicine-engineering integration and is well-positioned to participate in strategic healthcare technology transfer initiatives within the GBA.

Dr Lam Tai-fai welcomed the visit, which has further encouraged the PolyU’s efforts. He highlighted the University’s commitment to nurturing a strong sense of national pride and a global perspective, citing initiatives such as the Research Centre for Chinese History and Culture, the Chinese Culture Festival and compulsory Chinese history and culture courses for undergraduate students. He also emphasised the need for campus expansion to support future development.

Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government, acknowledged PolyU’s rising global and subject rankings and its key role in local education. She emphasised Hong Kong’s need to seize national development opportunities, particularly in the GBA’s technology transfer network, and outlined the Education Bureau’s plans for land allocation in the Northern Metropolis and other policy innovations.

Professor Jin-Guang Teng highlighted PolyU’s extensive experience in healthcare education, having trained 52,000 healthcare professionals over 40 years. With comprehensive healthcare programmes, 1,300 specialised staff, and state-of-the-art facilities, he emphasised PolyU’s readiness to establish a medical school to harness synergy among its diverse programmes and cultivate talent in a cost-effective manner.

Dr Wu Yan (centre) met with PolyU representatives, including Dr Lam Tai-fai (left) and Prof. Jin-Guang Teng (right).

Group photo of Dr Wu Yan (centre) and PolyU scholars who showcased innovative projects during the visit. (from left) Prof. Ma Cong from the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology; Prof. Dennis Tse and Prof. He Mingguang from the School of Optometry; Prof. Yang Hongxia from the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences; Prof. Zhang Weixiong from the Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Department of Computing; (from right) Prof. Kee Chea-su from the School of Optometry; Prof. Zhang Dan from the Department of Mechanical Engineering; Prof. Jing Cai from the Department of Health Technology and Informatics; Prof. Hu Xiaoling and Ir Prof. Yongping Zheng from the Department of Biomedical Engineering.