To support the University to lead and drive its global leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the areas of research, education, and management practices, the President’s Executive Committee has recently endorsed the creation of the post of Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) of the University (with the Chinese title 首席人工智能官). The CAIO, reporting directly to the President, will drive and foster collaborations with diverse stakeholders both within and outside the University.

Professor Yang Qiang, former Chief AI Officer of WeBank, will be appointed CAIO of the University in addition to his appointments as Director of the PolyU Academy for Artificial Intelligence (PAAI) and Chair Professor of Artificial Intelligence (on a half-time basis initially) in the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, all commencing on 1 April 2025.
 

The “AI & Medicine: Shaping the Future of Health Forum” was successfully held at Hotel ICON on 21 March 2025. This event brought together leading experts in medicine and artificial intelligence to explore the transformative potential of AI in healthcare. Moderated by Prof. Yang Hongxia, a renowned AI expert from PolyU, the Forum featured insightful contributions from Prof. Barry Marshall, the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine and Distinguished Honorary Professor of PolyU, and Prof. Zhang Ya-Qin, Chair Professor of AI Science and Dean of the Institute for AI Industry Research at Tsinghua University. They shared valuable perspectives on integrating AI technologies into medical research and practice, engaging an enthusiastic audience from Hong Kong and around the world. Prof. Marshall also delivered a speech about his journey in discovering Helicobacter pylori and its link to stomach diseases. The Forum provided an excellent opportunity for exchanging ideas, fostering collaborations, and envisioning a future where AI-driven solutions significantly enhance patient care and health outcomes worldwide.

The President’s Executive Committee recently approved the establishment of the PolyU Marshall Research Centre for Medical Microbial Biotechnology. Prof. Barry Marshall, the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine and Distinguished Honorary Professor of PolyU, attended the launch ceremony of the Research Centre on 21 March 2025. This Centre will be at the forefront of utilising AI tools to create e-biobanks focused on key genes involved in human-bacteria interactions, such as those with Helicobacter pylori. The initiative aims to build a comprehensive database of strains and genetic information to enhance understanding and facilitate the development of effective, cost-efficient diagnostic tools, ultimately advancing precision medicine.

Moreover, in response to the urgent issue of rising drug resistance, the Centre is committed to developing new classes of antimicrobial molecules with unique mechanisms of action. By utilising an innovative AI-driven drug design platform developed in-house, the Centre will seek to ensure that these molecules are both safe and effective. The Centre is dedicated to fostering an inspiring research environment and addressing the challenges posed by bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance, with a steadfast commitment to improving health outcomes not only in Hong Kong but also globally.

To ensure comprehensive guidance and effective governance, the University has formulated a set of Intellectual Property, Start-up and InnoHub Policies and Guidelines covering the University’s Mainland Translational Research Institutes (MTRIs) / Mainland Translational Research Centres (MTRCs). These policies and guidelines aim to bolster Intellectual Property management and commercialisation, as well as the development of innovations and spin-offs within the MTRIs/MTRCs through proper procedures and governance.

PolyU places strategic importance on making its research outputs widely accessible to diverse audiences, including scholarly communities, policymakers, and the general public worldwide. To enhance the visibility of our research and comply with both the University’s Open Access Policy and the Research Grants Council’s Open Access mandate, all academic staff are required to deposit their Final Accepted Manuscripts (FAM) of publications into the PolyU Institutional Research Archive (PIRA) immediately upon acceptance for publication. Starting in July 2025, the Library will be responsible for monitoring compliance with this requirement for research outputs published on or after 1 January 2025. Staff who have not deposited their manuscripts within one month of publication will receive reminders, with subsequent cases of non-compliance escalated to relevant Senior Management if necessary. Detailed instructions for the deposition process are available in the PIRA Library Guide.