News

PAIR and China Resources foster interdisciplinary dialogue at PAIR Salon

The PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) and the China Resources Research Institute of Science and Technology (CRRIST) jointly organised the PAIR SALON (“the Salon”) at Hong Kong Science Park on 31 August 2023. The Salon, themed on “Interdisciplinary Dialogue”, aims to encourage PAIR researchers and industry to collaborate in the forthcoming Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme (RAISe+ Scheme), a HK$10 billion initiative by the HKSAR government to provide matching funding to at least 100 university research teams with good potential to become start-ups, with an aim of promoting the transfer and commercialisation of R&D outcomes by university research teams. The RAISe+ Scheme will be launched in fall this year, and local designated universities including PolyU will be eligible for application. The Salon started with welcome speeches by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, and Mr LI Nan, Vice Dean of China Resource Research Institute of Science and Technology. Next, Mr Kelvin WONG, Director of Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office of PolyU introduced the RAISe+ Scheme. It was then followed by presentations by 22 PAIR members, sharing PAIR’s research progress and outcomes in various fields, including textile technology, energy technology, optical communication, civil infrastructure engineering, urban informatics, traditional Chinese medicine, logistics, mental health and medical imaging, etc. Attendees coming from different sectors also exchanged views and ideas with fruitful outcomes. The Salon was concluded with a closing remark by Prof. LI Li, Associate Director of PAIR. Launched in February 2023, the PAIR SALON is an initiative to provide a platform for closer exchange between academia and industry, with a view to encouraging university-industry research collaboration and facilitating knowledge transfer.

PolyU joins China Resources to drive the establishment of the CR-PolyU Joint Research Institute for Carbon Neutral New Materials

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), China Resources Enterprise, Limited (China Resources) and China Resources Research Institute of Science and Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) yesterday (4 May) on research collaboration in carbon neutrality and sustainability-driven projects, talent development and start-up projects, and a framework agreement to drive the establishment of the CR-PolyU Joint Research Institute for Carbon Neutral New Materials. Witnessed by Mr Xiangming WANG, Chairman of China Resources Group; Ms Cheng WU, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Dr LAM Tai-fai, Council Chairman of PolyU; and Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, the agreement was signed by Mr Ying CHEN, Assistant General Manager of China Resources Group, Chairman and CEO of China Resources Enterprise, and Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU. Mr Xiangming Wang said, “This collaboration relies on the abundant industrial resources of China Resources Group, combined with the strong scientific research capabilities and technology of PolyU. The aim is to extensively apply the results of research into new materials to industry, and jointly establish an ‘Industry-University-Research Integration’ research center to conduct commercial transformation and incubate startup projects. Against the backdrop of the Nation’s active promotion of the dual-carbon policy and the demand for new industrialisation in Hong Kong, the collaboration drives demand-driven development, strengthens the integration of production and application, and aims to solidify the research foundation of material science, sustainable development and other research directions to promote technological research and development, new products and new business models, and achieve open innovation.” PolyU President Prof. Jin-Guang Teng said, “This collaboration will facilitate talent nurturing for researchers and provide support for knowledge transfer. On the one hand, the two parties will provide more external opportunities for PolyU graduate students to exchange and collaborate. On the other hand, China Resources will provide incubation support for PolyU’s startups. These will help Hong Kong become an international I&T hub in the Greater Bay Area. Moving forward, China Resources and PolyU will jointly carry out frontier technology research and designated subject and technological innovation in basic fields based on the joint research institute platform, so as to attract researchers and incubate scientific and technological innovation start-up projects in sustainable development fields. Press Contacts

First PAIR Salon successfully held

The PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) has launched a new series of “PAIR SALON” in 2023, with the aim to encouraging industrial collaboration and facilitating knowledge transfer. The first PAIR Salon themed “Beyond Cutting Edge Research: The Marking of Meaningful Work” was successfully held on 1 February 2023 at the Hong Kong Science Park. PAIR members were warmly received by the senior management of the China Resources Group, including Mr CHEN Lei, Deputy General Manager, Science & Technology Innovation Department, China Resources Group and Ms Elaine LAM, General Manager, Hong Kong Business Division, China Resources Cement Holdings Limited. At the Salon, Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR, Prof. LI Li, Associate Director of PAIR and other eight scholars and researchers briefed the audience about PAIR’s latest development, projects and achievements in cutting-edge research and knowledge transfer, and had a fruitful exchange and discussion.