HKUST Annual Report 2016-17

7 In 2016-17, I was happy to see the collective spirit of the University community in full swing as we launched our Strategic Plan 2020 to keep HKUST at the academic, research and institutional forefront. Along with this, we strengthened knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship activities to drive innovative business and social trends in Hong Kong and globally. We also expanded our local, national and overseas presence to ensure HKUST’s standing and contribution in an era of change in higher education. All in all, it has proved a significant year for future growth. TEACHING AND LEARNING FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW In line with our Strategic Plan’s vision of a transformative education that looks beyond traditional disciplines and pedagogies, we forged ahead with internal restructuring and innovative program provision in our five targeted areas of focus: data science, sustainability, public policy, autonomous systems & robotics, and design thinking & entrepreneurship. Over the year, this saw the establishment of the Division of Public Policy and the renaming and broadening of the remit of the Division of Environment to the Division of Environment and Sustainability. Following the formation of the Big Data Institute the previous year, in 2016-17 we started an MSc in Big Data Technology and opened a bachelor degree in Quantitative Social Analysis, the first of their kind in Hong Kong and the region respectively. As part of our enterprising pedagogical endeavors, the University offered 29 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) which bring HKUST education to learners worldwide and attracted over one million registrations, in addition to the expansion of the number and variety of courses and programs embracing experiential learning to foster design thinking and encourage practical application of knowledge and skills. The University’s championing of an all-round student experience led to a range of horizon-widening action over 2016-17. We broadened internationalization options through greater flexibility, offering summer term exchange-out programs at Ivy League and Oxbridge institutions as well as eye-opening destinations in Belt and Road countries. Meanwhile, to give early career exposure and assist students in identifying their individual interests and passion, the University’s signature Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program delivered academic research project and lab culture exposure to over 400 students under the guidance of 120 faculty members; and more than 60 participants and over 20 corporate partners took part in our HeadStart@ HKUST workplace internship and mentorship program for first and second-year students. RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER On the research front, funding bodies and organizations inside and outside Hong Kong provided more than $560 million to support our work. Over 200 new projects received funding from the Research Grants Council and HKUST achieved the highest success rate among institutions in the competitive General Research Fund (47%) and Early Career Scheme (71%). This included $83.2 million for an Areas of Excellence neuroscience project and $36 million for a HKUST-led Theme-Based Research Scheme pollution-linked study. Other major recognitions for faculty’s research excellence included a State Natural Science Award (Second Class), an inaugural National Innovation Pioneer Award, a Croucher Innovation Award, and a place in MIT Technology Review ’s Top 10 Innovators Under 35 in Asia. To keep the University’s research infrastructure at the leading edge, we completed a review of our 13 research institutes and over 50 research centers to ensure approaches keep pace with needs in a period of swiftly moving developments across academia. In addition, we established a Mainland Operations Policy Committee to coordinate management and oversight of the University’s various Mainland platforms. Demonstrating our drive to extend HKUST’s knowledge transfer impact, the University submitted over 100 applications to the Innovation and Technology Fund, with 43 projects receiving total funding of more than $170 million, up $60 million from last year. The University took steps to propel new knowledge from campus to the community, with the Office of Knowledge Transfer and the Entrepreneurship Center becoming independent entities, and the revision of HKUST’s intellectual property policy. The year also brought the soft launch of the Knowledge Transfer Hub, which links up all our related units and offers timely updates for collaborators and the public. To invigorate the University’s innovation ecosystem, the U*STAR Fund and Yeung Wing Yee Entrepreneurs Fund got underway, spurring entrepreneurial