19 18 HKU ANNUAL REPORT 2025 RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (Front row from left) Mr Linlin Ye, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission; Professor Max Shen, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) of HKU; and Ms Difang Zhang, Deputy Chief of Pudong New Area, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July to establish the HKU-CDS Shanghai Teaching and Research Site in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park. Mr Hejun Yin (right), Minister of Science and Technology, led a delegation on a visit to two State Key Laboratories of HKU. The HKU-CDS Shanghai Teaching and Research Site is located in Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, surrounded by a vibrant ecosystem of technology companies. HKU alumna Dr Luyi Mo, Vice President of Pony.ai, a global leader in autonomous mobility, was invited to give a fireside chat jointly organised by the Graduate School and the Postgraduate Student Association. The soon-to-open Tech Landmark will house at least 10 interdisciplinary institutes. The University’s research excellence and innovation continued to garner strong international recognition in 2024–25, with many of our academics named among the best in their fields and entire disciplines named among the best in Asia and the world. This follows significant investment and effort to attract and develop talent, streamline research services, and expand research facilities to stay ahead of the technology curve. The aim is to solidify our position as a world-class research centre that makes meaningful contributions to science and has enduring impact in local, national and global communities. Talent recruitment is central to that ambition. In 2025, we welcomed around 100 new academics, from rising stars to scholars at the top of their game, from such institutions as Stanford University, University of Chicago and Oxford University. These recruits add to our substantial existing strengths. For instance, 54 HKU scholars were named in Clarivate’s prestigious Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list. Whole disciplines were also recognised in 2025, with Dentistry, Education and Training, Linguistics and Geography placing among the top 10 in the world in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject. The quality of our research and researchers also enabled us to continue to attract significant support from government funding agencies and have the highest number of young scientists awarded in Hong Kong under the 2025 National Natural Science Foundation of China funding exercise, among many other funding successes. HKU was also honoured to have the highest number of State Key Laboratories in Hong Kong. To enable our talent to thrive and excel, the University is expanding our footprint to provide more space for research activities. The first phase of the Tech Landmark is scheduled to open soon, followed by the remaining two phases in 2026. The Tech Landmark will house at least 10 interdisciplinary institutes and significantly raise the profile of interdisciplinary research at the University. Plans for a physical presence in the Chinese Mainland have also been finalised with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a new HKU institute in Shanghai’s Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park that will accommodate computer and engineering research. The MoU was signed in July with the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and the People’s Government of Shanghai Pudong New Area. Separately, HKU is also participating in the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute, bringing our skills in clinical trials to a larger platform. Another supportive initiative has been to strengthen services to help scholars navigate the huge array of options and opportunities for funding, licensing, commercialisation and partnerships. In 2025, a one-stop shop was established under the office of the Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) to connect researchers with the best unit for their needs and smooth the process for funding applications and the translation of research. Finally, the University is deeply committed to nurturing young talent through the Graduate School. We have established a supervisory committee for each research student and refocussed the progress monitoring mechanism. We also offer awards and fellowships to incentivise research excellence. Our recent FutureReady Series is helping advance students’ research capabilities, professional development and overall well-being through such activities as academic workshops, an annual student symposium, alumni fireside chats and wellness initiatives.
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