A delegation from the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong province (GDSTC) visited City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) on 5 December, following a meeting in January this year. They discussed further exchanges and cooperation in technological innovation with CityUHK senior management.

The delegation was led by Mr Liang Qinqu, Deputy Director of the GDSTC, and its members included Ms Yang Huifang, Director of the Communication and Cooperation Division of the GDSTC; Mr Yuan Yan, Associate Researcher at the Guangdong Science and Technology Cooperation Center; and Mr Xu Yingying, Assistant Researcher at the Guangdong Science and Technology Cooperation Center.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by Professor Freddy Boey, President of CityUHK, and members of senior management, including Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise); Professor Anderson Shum Ho-cheung, Vice-President (Research); Professor Michael Tse Chi-kong, Associate Vice-President (Innovation) and Director of the CityUHK Academy of Innovation; Professor Johnny Ho Chung-yin, Associate Vice-President (Enterprise); Dr Eva Lui, Director of the Research Grants and Contracts Office; Professor Liu Zishun, Vice-President (Research & Innovation) of CityUHK (Dongguan); and Professor Wu Zhenduo, Director of the Research Office of CityUHK (Dongguan).

President Boey thanked the delegation for their second visit to CityUHK. He pointed out that in the recent release of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asian University Rankings 2025, CityUHK was ranked 10th in Asia, making it among the top 1% of universities in Asia. CityUHK has actively supported the development of the Greater Bay Area (GBA), hosting the first Shenzhen–Hong Kong Intellectual Property Forum in Shenzhen and establishing the National Intellectual Property Operation (Hetao Shenzhen) Transformation Pilot Platform. The University is dedicated to facilitating the conversion and application of intellectual property in the domestic market and to assisting in the development of the innovation ecosystem in the GBA, at the national level, and globally.

Professor Shum then elaborated on CityUHK's international characteristics and academic and research achievements. CityUHK was honoured as the “Most International University in the World” by Times Higher Education (THE) in 2024. Nearly 210 scholars from CityUHK were named among the “World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists”, according to data compiled by a research team at Stanford University, and CityUHK was ranked first in Hong Kong in proportion to the overall number of teaching and research staff at the university. Professor Shum added that 31 scholars from CityUHK were named Highly Cited Researchers 2024 by Clarivate. In terms of faculty size, this percentage placed CityUHK first in Hong Kong for the ninth consecutive year, reflecting the significant academic impact and international recognition of its research team.

Professor Liu introduced the latest developments and campus features of CityUHK (Dongguan) to the delegation. CityUHK (Dongguan) is located near national-level scientific laboratories, high-tech research and development institutions and enterprises. As with CityUHK, CityUHK (Dongguan) is committed to promoting an educational environment that is inspiring, interactive and innovative. CityUHK (Dongguan) plans to build an open interdisciplinary platform to nurture innovative and international talent among its students, enabling them to contribute to the needs of national and GBA development.

During the meeting, the delegation also gained a deep understanding of the CityUHK Institute of Digital Medicine (IDM). The Institute is collaborating with renowned universities and medical schools around the world, as well as clinical and industry partners and health tech investors. IDM will utilise CityUHK’s research strengths in engineering, data science and life science to develop innovative technologies to support doctors and explore digital health solutions for the long-term benefit of patients.

After the sharing from CityUHK senior management, they continued to engage in discussions and exchanges with the delegation to further strengthen cooperation in the field of technology, with the aim of collaboratively establishing an international innovation platform in the Greater Bay Area in the future.