The Review 2016

KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE Public-private partnerships have been on the HKU radar for some time. In 2015–16 we received $123 million in research funding from industry sources, and $82 million from the Innovation and Technology Commission. But there is far more potential in this area than we have tapped into. The University has continued to strengthen its efforts to develop more of these partnerships and build on the start-up incubations made possible by HKU’s DreamCatchers and TSSSU@HKU (Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities at HKU). DreamCatchers was launched in May 2015 to inspire innovation and entrepreneurship among students, academics and alumni. In 2015–16 the Development and Alumni Affairs Office together with the Technology Transfer Office and supported by the Journalism and Media Studies Centre and Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS), organised events and initiatives to support this goal, the centrepiece of which was HKU DreamCatchers 100K. This provided seed funding, mentoring and other support to 10 projects started by young entrepreneurs connected to HKU, which were selected through a competition (10 runners-up also received mentoring). The University also co-organised events with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and Cyberport Management Company Ltd, while CEDARS organised 34 35 Realising Potential Comma Technology Ltd was a recipient of TSSSU@HKU funding for its work to develop portable and wearable technology for industry that can track everything from the movement of goods and people to machine maintenance schedules. The Comma team, (left to right) Shao Saijun, Li Ming and Dr Kong Xiangtianrui, are now in discussion with potential investors. “TSSSU@HKU allowed us to get set up,” said Dr Kong, project leader, who received his PhD in 2016 from the Faculty of Engineering. “It is not a lot of money but it helped us to get acceptance.” Virtual Reality The Depa r tmen t o f I ndus t r i a l and Manufactur ing Systems Engineer ing (IMSE) has created a truly immersive v i r tual env i ronment , the imseCAVE, through the integration of state-of-the-art engineering and technologies including virtual and augmented real ity, sensor network, distributed computing, big-data processing and management. Pictured above is the imseCAVE team, led by Associate Professor Dr Henry Lau Ying- kei (second left), with (left to right) Dr Leith Chan, Yaqi Dai, Ka Yik Chan and William Tam. The imseCAVE, which won a 2016 HKU Knowledge Exchange Award, is a fully immersive and interactive visualisation system. activities to build entrepreneurial capabilities in students through a start-up job fair, entrepreneurial internship programme and the Hub of University Student Entrepreneurs (HOUSE). These events all laid the groundwork for further innovation, not only in terms of specific projects promoted, but also in cultivating a start-up mentality on campus. Start-up ventures based around HKU research and know-how have also been supported through TSSSU@HKU, a government-funded programme launched in early 2014. By June 30, 2016, 20 start-ups linked to HKU staff, students and alumni had received a total $12 million. Some of these are expected to attract major industry partners in the very near future. Meanwhile, the Technology Transfer Office has been helping to connect researchers and businesses and commercialise our research. In 2015–16, 132 patents were filed for inventions by HKU scholars. The patent application process normally takes a couple of years to complete and this year 60 patents were granted. Many HKU scholars also contribute their expertise through community engagement . Two good recent examples of this involved infectious diseases and endangered species. The Dean of Medicine, Professor Gabriel Leung, collaborated with fellows of four global commissions to review the Ebola epidemic and propose a bold agenda for global health preparedness and response to future infectious disease threats. Marine ecologist Professor Yvonne Sadovy worked with the wildlife monitoring network, TRAFFIC, to expose the illegal and unreported trade in the endangered Humphead Wrasse fish through Hong Kong and call for urgent action. Numerous other academic staff have also used their know-how to highlight issues of concern in the community and contribute to policy development locally, regionally and internationally.