As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) held its third Innovation Day to showcase its applied research and industry partnerships. The event also saw the formal launch of CUHK Innovation Limited, an important vehicle for financing emerging start-ups and supporting the commercialization of innovative research and development achievements. CUHK also hosted Entrepreneur Day 2023, featuring exhibitions, interactive display zone and speeches on artificial intelligence (AI) and other fields that are proving vital to nurturing a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem. In partnership with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park Corporation on the CUHK Robotics Open Day, highlighting robotics innovations and signing a collaboration agreement to foster talent. Finally, CUHK hosted the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society – Asia Pacific Conference 2023 (2023 TERMIS-AP) brought together 1000 academics to share the latest cutting edge research in this rapidly developing field.
CUHK Innovation Day highlighted the achievements of scholars, students and alumni in industry-academia-research collaboration. The event focused on the development of the campus innovation ecosystem and featured over 40 exhibitors, who showcased innovative projects from CUHK InnoHK centres, CUHK start-ups and other entrepreneurial ventures. The day included an exhibition, an inter-professional symposium, talks and an Elevator Pitch Competition.
A new event this year, a live broadcast of an exhibition tour, introduced CUHK’s start-ups and various innovative inventions to political, industrial, commercial and academic online guests from Beijing and Shanghai. It took place with the valuable support of the National Torch Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ZGC) and the InnoPort@Shanghai (CUHK Shanghai Centre). More than 50 local secondary school students took part in another new event for this year, the Exhibition Guided Tour, promoting and enhancing young people’s understanding of and interest in innovation.
CUHK also announced that it was establishing CUHK Innovation Limited, a company dedicated to providing early-stage funding and support to promising CUHK start-ups. The company aims to create a vibrant ecosystem by nurturing relationships between entrepreneurs and a broad network of investors. CUHK Innovation has formed a joint investment platform with venture capitalists, family offices and signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with eight additional companies, who will join as co-investment partners. These partnerships bring not only the capital funding but also extensive experience and valuable connections in different fields that will drive innovation and entrepreneurship at CUHK.
CUHK hosted Entrepreneur Day 2023, a two-day event aimed at providing a platform for alumni, teachers, students, industry representatives and investors interested in entrepreneurship. The event featured a wide range of activities, including entrepreneurship exhibitions, interactive displays of entrepreneurial projects, entrepreneurship competition, and one-to-one business consultation sessions. The opening ceremony included speeches from Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, and Ms Cally Chan, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau, who spoke about AI and its impact on everyday life. Professor Sun highlighted the government’s efforts to promote innovation and technology in Hong Kong, including the launch of the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme to encourage industry-academia-research collaboration. The event also showcased nearly 50 start-ups from alumni, professors and students, including successful unicorns like SenseTime and SmartMore. The second day of the event included a joint session with the Shanghai Alumni Association, encouraging entrepreneurs in Hong Kong and Shanghai to interact and share their valuable experiences.
CUHK and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park Corporation (HKSTP) jointly organised the CUHK Robotics Open Day. The event showcased CUHK’s leading innovations in robotics to the public and aimed to strengthen cooperation between the university, government and industry for the advancement of innovation and technology in Hong Kong. During the opening ceremony, dignitaries including Professor John Chai, CUHK’s Council Chairman, and Ms Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, expressed their appreciation for the collaboration and highlighted the government’s plans to support technology transfer and commercialisation. The event also involved the signing of a collaboration agreement between HKSTP, Lenovo Group and CUHK’s Hong Kong Centre for Logistics Robotics (HKCLR) to foster and incubate young talents in robotics and AI technologies. CUHK showcased more than 30 cutting-edge robotics projects, including autonomous asset inspection and management technologies, nanorobot swarm systems for medical intervention, and innovative last-mile delivery solutions.
(From left) Professor Sham Mai-har, CUHK’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor; Professor Liu Yunhui, Director of CURI and HKCLR; Ms Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Professor John Chai, CUHK’s Council Chairman; Dr Samson Tam, Board Member of HKSTP; and Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP
CUHK also hosted the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society – Asia Pacific Conference 2023 (2023 TERMIS-AP). The conference is a prominent gathering in the region in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Nearly 1,000 renowned academics and industry experts from around the world attended to share scientific knowledge, discuss the latest research and explore advancements in the field.
Distinguished guests including Professor Anthony S. Weiss, TERMIS President, and Professor Rocky S. Tuan, CUHK’s Vice-Chancellor and President, officiated at the opening ceremony. Professor Tuan emphasised the potential of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to revolutionise healthcare globally and improve lives. The conference’s theme, New Vista of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, reflects the aim of exploring innovative solutions to health challenges through collaboration between scientists, engineers and clinicians.
The four-day conference featured a comprehensive programme encompassing plenary lectures, discussion sessions, presentations and exhibitions. Topics included tissue engineering, stem cell therapies, biomaterials and clinical applications. Attendees had the opportunity to network, establish collaborations and gain insights from esteemed speakers and panellists.
