PolyU signed a cooperation agreement with the Wuxi city government in late 2022 to jointly establish the PolyU–Wuxi Technology and Innovation Research Institute, marking a pioneering move among Hong Kong’s tertiary institutions to set up a scientific research institute in Wuxi and participate in the Yangtze River Delta’s innovation and technology drive.
The five-year cooperation agreement was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, and Mr ZHANG Jinwei, Head of Xinwu district, Wuxi, in a video conference. The agreement was witnessed by Dr LAM Tai-fai, Council Chairman of PolyU; Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU; Mr DU Xiaogang, Communist Party Secretary of Wuxi; Mr ZHAO Jianjun, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Wuxi; and other leaders of PolyU and Wuxi authorities.
Under the agreement, which came into effect in January 2023, the Faculty of Engineering of PolyU and Wuxi National Hi-Tech District (WND) will collaborate to set up the Institute in the Wuxi Airport Economic Development Zone, and the Wuxi municipal government will provide the required facilities, infrastructure and funding over the five years to support the Institute’s development. The Institute will include a teaching and research facility for the engineering doctorate programme, an advanced research platform for cutting-edge technologies, and an innovation hub for translational research and incubation of start-ups.
At the ceremony, Prof. H.C. MAN, Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM) and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, explained the new Institute’s significance as a world-class advanced research and innovation platform that will nurture innovation and technology talents and foster emerging industries. RIAM will actively collaborate with the Institute for research in the areas of aviation and aerospace, advanced manufacturing, new materials, artificial intelligence, new energy, biomedical technology and communication networks.
