The measure of research success is undergoing paradigm shifts. Increasingly, governments and society have demanded that universities demonstrate ‘impact’ – how their research not only contributes to academic knowledge, but also makes a difference in the community. Many academics also believe their work has more than academic value. In the UK, impact has become an assessment measure for research funding, and Hong Kong will follow suit in the next Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in 2020. The University made significant progress in our impact-driven research in the 2016–17 academic year, and in our understanding, appreciation and evaluation of such activities.

Dr Philip Yu Leung-ho of the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science in the Faculty of Science demonstrates his powerful portfolio optimisation software ‘PORTimizer®’ and MPF mobile app ‘MPF Optimal Allocation (MPF OpAl)’ at the opening of the HKU x Cyberport FinTech Nucleus.

Building Capacity

The University started a series of RAE colloquia in 2016–17 to raise awareness of the dual focus on quality and impact, to prepare for the 2020 RAE, and to highlight the current demands on academic research. The University Research Committee (URC) also organised a centralised mock-RAE in 2017, complementary to faculty-based efforts, that required each faculty to submit impact case studies in addition to research outputs. This provided a ‘health check’ to all units for diagnosis and redress. It also helped the URC gauge the success of its various seed-funding schemes in supporting areas of strengths and growing areas of potential.

The human resources policy has also been refined to make it easier for staff to pursue funding, research and clinical opportunities in the Mainland, and to encourage interdisciplinarity by appointing joint staff across two faculties – which also contributes to the target of strengthening impact through interdisciplinary research.

Seeking Collaborators

Working across disciplines and with international partners raises our capabilities in tackling challenging research problems. For more than a decade, the University has funded interdisciplinary explorations through its Strategic Research Themes (SRT) initiative. This was succeeded in 2016–17 with the Seed Funding for Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Scheme. The latter has the goal of grooming large-scale external peer-reviewed research projects that would qualify for the Research Grant Council's Areas of Excellence (AoE) Scheme, Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS), Collaborative Research Fund and overseas grants. (HKU is leading one AoE and two TRS projects awarded in 2017, which together received more than $165 million in funding.) The URC further introduced a new funding scheme to support the long-term building of platform technologies in the University and ensure that the early success of the SRTs can be sustained and harnessed.

International collaboration is also strongly encouraged. Individual scholars at HKU have more than 2,400 collaborations with partners outside HKU. The University also has formal, institution-level collaborations with the University of Sydney, University of Chicago, King’s College and University College London (the latter was signed in 2016), and a Strategic Partnerships Fund to support collaborations with them. An agreement was also signed during the year with the US-based National Academy of Medicine to nurture talent and jointly tackle global health issues. HKU has also invested considerably in developing a strong foothold in Mainland China, and supports staff and students to develop partnerships with other universities and organisations through the Global Partnership Seed Fund. These supplement other established exchange fellowship schemes with Cambridge, Glasgow, King’s and others.

Bricks of the Future and the Past

The Faculty of Architecture recently completed its first robotically manufactured intervention, called the Ceramic Constellation Pavilion, which is unusual in being made of entirely non-standard components. Each of it nearly 2,000 terracotta bricks is unique and was 3-D printed in the Faculty’s newly-fitted Robotics Lab, which opened in 2016. The aim of the project was to test the possibilities and limits of robotic fabrication and revitalise the use of terracotta, which has a significant tradition in Asia.

Activating Innovation

Innovation is an essential component of impact. It requires blue-sky research motivated by curiosity, as well as channels for translating and applying that research to benefit society. Innovation from research is evident in impact projects and industry projects, as well as licensing agreements based on HKU’s intellectual property. HKU provides channels such as DreamCatchers and the Technology Transfer Office to showcase new projects (see also Knowledge Exchange and Technology Transfer).

Partnership is an effective way of supporting innovation. The HKU x Cyberport Digital Tech Entrepreneurship Platform was launched in August 2017, pairing the University’s technological expertise and research with Cyberport’s global connections and infrastructure (Hong Kong Cyberport is home to nearly 900 digital tech companies). HKU also has a FinTech Nucleus at Cyberport. In October 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) to set up a joint research laboratory focused on financial, health and smart city technologies. The Hong Kong Science and Technology Park also continued to be an important venue for start-up companies formed by HKU researchers. In addition, partnerships were formed with individual companies, such as a multi-million dollar deal with TCL Corporation Ltd on OLED technology.

Impact with Integrity

Research must not only be of high quality to have impact, it must be conducted properly and with integrity. HKU has been a regional leader in promoting responsible research conduct. Workshops on the topic are part of the induction of new staff (2,260 academics have attended since March 2010) and compulsory training for postgraduates, and there is a Director of Education and Development Research Integrity. In February 2017, HKU hosted the Asia and Pacific Rim Research Integrity Network Meeting, attended by scholars from 19 countries and territories, and in May it won a bid to host the World Congress on Research Integrity in 2019. Research integrity gives texture and validity to HKU’s research. In a sense, it is the supportive fifth 'i' in the University’s vision of internationalisation, interdisciplinarity and innovation, converging on the ultimate goal of impact.

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