North by south

14 Dec 2001

Following the establishment of a research base at the Shenzhen Virtual University Park (SVUP), CityU has launched another such centre in Zhuhai's Southern Software Park at the end of this year.

The University will continue to explore new footholds across the border as opportunities arise, said Mr H Y Wong, Director of the Industrial and Business Development Office (IBDO). Lower running costs, top research talent, and proximity to the mainland market are just some of the many advantages offered by a mainland research office, he explained.

A call for projects for an incubation programme at the mainland research bases early

this year resulted in more than 20 proposals. After reviews by the Working Group on Applied R&D, chaired by Professor W F Fong, Associate Vice-President (Research), 10 projects were selected for funding. Among these funded proposals, four were picked for incubation at two research centres in the SVUP. The remaining six, which focus on IT, were chosen for the Zhuhai centre (see chart).

The two centres in the SVUP, Biotech & Health Centre and Industrial Technologies Centre, headed by Professor W F Fong (BCH) and Dr Albert Cheung (FLC), respectively, cover a total area of 7,000 square feet. The IT centre in Zhuhai, headed by Professor Hon Yan (IT), occupies approximately the same area as the two Shenzhen centres combined. A representative office in the SVUP, headed by Mr H Y Wong and managed by a mainland officer, will serve as the liaison centre for CityU's teaching, research and promotion activities -- such as academic exchange and conference organization -- in China.

CityU has earmarked HK$50 million for business incubation and applied research development in China. Projects selected for incubation, though funded initially by the University, are expected to eventually become self-financing. IBDO will invite a second round of proposals to be considered for incubation at the two Pearl River Delta applied R&D centres early next year.

CityU Cross-Border Applied R&D Centres

	IT Centre	Biotech & Health Centre	Industrial Technologies Centre
Location	Zhuhai Southern Software Park	Shenzhen Virtual Univresity Park	Shenzhen Virtual University Park
Centre Director	Prof Hong Yan	Prof W F Fong	Dr Albert Cheung
Funded Projects/ Principal Investigator	1. Active Media Systems/Prof Liu Zhi Qiang (SCM) 2. Development of Personalized Cartoon Pictures and Movies/Prof Hong Yan (IT) 3. Enhanced Development of Chinese Language Resources/Prof Benjamin T'sou (RCL) 4. Computer-asisted Simulation for Orthognatihic Surgery (CASSOS) with Medical Record Management in Multilingual Platform/Prof Horace Ip (CS) 5. AnyServer: A Re-configurable Information Service System/Dr Jia Weijia (CS) 6. Building & Architectural Engineering Design/Prof Andrew Leung (BC)	1. Shenzhen R &D Centre for Biotechnology/Dr Michael Yang (BCH) 2. Research and Development of Mangrove Wetland Centre & Mangrove Replanting Technology/Prof Nora Tam (BCH)	1. Smart Dispensing Centrol System for Semiconductor Packaging/Dr Li Han Xiong (MEEM) 2. Vision Systems for Automated Inspection of Electronic Components in Small Batch Productio/Dr Y F Li (MEEM)