KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER THE REVIEW2020 HKU is keen to translate research and expertise into impact and in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to do so in ways that benefitted the whole world. The findings of our scholars, described in the Research and Innovation chapter, have been advanced by efforts to commercialise that research through the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), and by a wide range of knowledge exchange (KE) activities to provide expert advice and help to society at large. Coincidentally, the pandemic arrived at the same time as the University appointed its first Chief Innovation Officer to ramp up our innovation and impact. Sharing Our Know-how on COVID-19: HKU medical researchers have made enormous contributions to the global response to the pandemic, such as producing and distributing testing protocols and developing options for treatments and vaccines (see page 20). To bring the benefits of the latter into the wider world, the University and TTO are pursuing options to develop and commercialise our findings. Already, one vaccine candidate is going through a clinical trial with collaborators in Mainland China and a US patent has been filed for a new antiviral strategy for treating COVID-19 that is based on existing metallodrugs. Negotiations are also underway with an industry partner to develop a vaccine factory in Hong Kong. Our contributions are not limited to the laboratory. HKU academics have provided expert advice on COVID-19 to many governments, including Hong Kong’s, and spoken with dozens of media outlets around the world. The Faculty of Education has helped primary and secondary school students cope with online learning, while the Faculty of Social Sciences has produced materials on mindfulness. The Development and Alumni Affairs Office collated all of HKU’s research and outreach into a single website and launched education and other programmes to support the community. The University itself launched the HKU COVID Relief Fund to support students and community members in need. Details of these initiatives are on the following pages. Building Our Capacity for Impact: Our COVID-19 research is a good example of the reach and impact that our research can achieve. Often, though, the path to impact is not as clear cut and extra resources are needed to take research beyond academia. The KE Funding Scheme for Impact Projects supports academic staff to undertake such projects and to collect evidence of impact from their research. In 2019–20, 57 projects were supported, such as a project to evaluate the impact of a mobile dental service programme, particularly for underprivileged residents, and another on promoting creative and ethical use of copyright works in education. Start-ups related to our research receive support through the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities at HKU (TSSSU@HKU), which in 2019–20 awarded a total of HK$8 million to 24 HKU start-ups. HKU also partnered with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation to open a new facility to nurture deep technology start-ups and spinoffs, called iAXON, which is located at a 4,000-square-foot venue close to the HKU campus. Measures have also been taken to improve efficiency in the TTO by committing to turn around applications within two weeks and by standardising the negotiation process for licensing HKU-originated patents. Incubation and Recognition: Enthusiasm and energy for innovation are being nurtured at iDendron, which provides students and recent graduates with space and support services to explore their ideas. Since its founding in 2017, iDendron has launched some 70 start-ups. New initiatives added in the 2019–20 academic year include the ‘Meet HKU Startup Founders’ series, which involves weekly online live chats with HKU start-up teams, and the iDendron Incubation Programme. The latter kicked off in July 2019 and provides an intensive six-month programme of mentoring, investor relationship building, outreach and business support. Twelve start-ups participated in the first round and nine were admitted in the second round. Apart from encouraging start-ups, HKU also encourages research postgraduates to hone their skills in communicating their research by participating in the Three Minute Thesis and Visualise Your Thesis competitions, which together attracted several dozen submissions in 2020. Finally, besides supporting innovation, the University recognises outstanding performance through the KE Awards given out at the faculty level and the KE Excellence Award, which goes to one winner each year from across the University. In the coming year, we will add two new awards for outputs that are innovative and have great potential for impact. The aim is to keep momentum building and reward scholars who pursue research and outreach with deep and lasting community impact. Research postgraduate students explain their research within three minutes to a general audience in the annual HKU Three Minute Thesis Competition jointly organised by the Graduate School and the Knowledge Exchange Office. iAXON is the first step of a larger university collaboration model that aims at strengthening academia-industry alliances and fostering commercialisation opportunities of start-ups in Hong Kong. Presented by iDendron, the ‘Meet HKU Startup Founders’ series invites HKU start-up founders to share the prospect and challenges of their projects in the live online event. patents 70 granted in 2019–20, bringing the total since 1998 to 866. start-ups 70 launched through iDendron since it launched in 2017. KE projects 57 supported by the KE Funding Scheme for Impact Projects in 2019–20. 28 | 29
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