To advance collaborative innovation and support the strategic development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, CUHK and CUHK(SZ) jointly hosted two Town Hall Meetings on 13 and 15 November, 2024, introducing the 1+1+1 CUHK-CUHK(SZ)-GDST Joint Collaboration Fund. These sessions highlighted the fund’s goal to foster cross-campus collaboration, leveraging the unique strengths of both campuses.
The fund, supported by the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province (GDST), CUHK, and CUHK(SZ), was established following a Memorandum of Understanding signed in May 2024. With an annual contribution of RMB 10 million each from GDST and CUHK(SZ), along with HKD 10 million from CUHK, the fund forms a substantial seed pool of RMB 60 million and HKD 30 million over three years (2024–2026).
Focus Areas and Objectives
The fund supports projects aligned with the economic and social development needs of the Greater Bay Area, including research areas in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, Economics, Finance and Logistics, Medicine and Life Sciences, Aerospace and Geoinformatics, New Materials, New Energy, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics etc. Key goals are as follows:
Supporting at least 20 collaborative research projects and publishing over 30 high-quality research papers, prioritizing projects with industrialization potential
Developing 1–2 significant Guangdong-Hong Kong joint research platforms, leveraging resources from Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and international partners.
Recruiting 3–5 distinguished scholars in key academic fields to lead research teams at both universities, fostering innovation and cultivating postdoctoral researchers, doctoral candidates, and graduate and undergraduate students.
Town Hall Highlights
The CUHK session featured welcome remarks and presentations by CUHK Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Developments) Professor Chan Wai-yee and CUHK(SZ) Associate Vice President (Education and CUHK Affairs) Professor Cai Xiaoqiang, joined by other speakers including CUHK Associate Vice President (Education) Professor Hector Chan and CUHK Associate Vice-President (Research) Professor Patrick Wong. At CUHK(SZ), CUHK(SZ) Associate Vice President Professor Huang Jianwei and CUHK(SZ) Associate Dean (Biomedical Research & Innovation) of the School of Medicine Professor Richard Ye joined Professor Cai and Professor Chan to provide detailed insights into the fund’s implementation plan and application process.
Both events concluded with engaging Q&A sessions, where attendees explored the opportunities for cross-campus collaboration under the spirit of “One Brand, Two Campuses.” These meetings highlight CUHK and CUHK(SZ)’s shared vision in advancing research and innovation excellence in the region.
