Twenty-one HKUST-led projects were awarded funding
by the Innovation and Technology Fund. Among them,
$11 million was awarded for aerospace engineering
projects, a new strategic area of development at HKUST
in synchronization with the rapid development of
aerospace engineering in the Asia Pacific region. Other
projects cover applications for energy and sustainability,
and healthcare, electrical and electronics, information
technology, nanotechnology and biotechnology.
A 973 National Basic Research Program on Structural
Biology of Protein Complexes Regulating Neuronal
Development and Signal Transduction within Peking
University-HKUST-Shenzhen Medical Center was
awarded a project fund of around RMB22 million by
the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Partner
State Key Laboratory on Advanced Displays and
Optoelectronic Technologies, a joint initiative with
Sun Yat-Sen University, commenced operations after
gaining approval from the Ministry of Science and
Technology. It received $13.75 million funding from the
Innovation and Technology Fund.
The Institute for Environment saw significant group
projects developed, among them smart urban water
supply systems, innovative wastewater treatment,
and advanced sustainable materials. The Atmospheric
Research Center was established to carry out frontier
research on air quality.
In the inaugural invitation for the establishment of
Hong Kong branches of Chinese National Engineering
Research Center (CNERC) by the Ministry of Science and
Technology, HKUST submitted seven proposals covering
a variety of research strengths, including robotics and
autonomous systems, solid-state lighting systems, big
data, visual computing, aggregation-induced emission-
based materials, and Chinese medicine.
In March 2014, the HKUST Energy Institute held its
inaugural forum on sustainable energy. The University
also celebrated the official opening of the HKUST-
Qualcomm Joint Innovation and Research Laboratory.
Qualcomm Inc. donated US$200,000 as initial funding.
Regarding economic development, the HKUST Institute
for Emerging Marketing Studies (IEMS), supported by
Ernst & Young, collaborated with the World Bank’s
Network of Jobs and Development initiative.
In organizational research moves, the HKUST Robotics
Institute was established as a unique interdisciplinary
platform to lead basic and applied research in robotic
technologies at the University. The Super-resolution
Imaging Center was set up to develop cutting-edge
microscope technology for visualizing living cells less
than 20 nanometers, an important enabler for frontier
life science research.
17
HKUST 2013-2014 Annual Report
