The first ever PhD Student Workshop organized by City University of Hong Kong (CityU) was held from 10 to 11 April in Suzhou, providing an academic exchange platform for research students from Hong Kong and other parts of China.

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The event, organized by the School of Graduate Studies, took place at the University of Science and Technology of China—CityU Joint Advanced Research Centre in Suzhou. The two-day workshop was attended by over 100 PhD students recruited by CityU or jointly recruited by CityU and its partner institutions on the mainland, namely the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Wuhan University.

Giving the opening remarks, Professor (Chair) Roderick Wong Sue-cheun, CityU’s Vice-President (Research) and Dean of Graduate Studies, welcomed all the participants and encouraged them to take full advantage of the opportunities provided by the event.

“Our aim is to provide a platform for the Hong Kong and mainland student project teams under the Mainland Collaboration Schemes to discuss their research findings and the latest advancements in their own discipline,” Professor Wong said. “To enhance our academic partnerships with key mainland universities and to facilitate academic exchanges, we initiated the Schemes in order to co-supervise research students with our mainland partners.”

The workshop provided an excellent opportunity for the PhD students to advance their understanding of cutting-edge research in their subject areas through interactive learning methods and discussion.

The focus of the workshop highlighted eight key areas: applied mathematics, knowledge and innovation management, control and mechatronics, fire safety and nanomechanics, web services, environmental science, information engineering, and physics and materials science.

CityU has been pro-active in cultivating relationships with tertiary institutions and research centres on the mainland. Its Mainland Collaboration Schemes were established in 2005, with an objective to recruit and train research students with reputable universities in mainland China. The Schemes also facilitate research collaborations between CityU and its counterpart universities, creating a high level of research talent for the benefit of society.

CityU has set up teaching and research bases such as the USTC—CityU Joint Advanced Research Centre, opened in Suzhou in 2005; and the CityU (Shenzhen) Research Institute Building, located in the Shenzhen Virtual University Science Park and scheduled for completion by mid-2008.