Hong Kong University of Science and Technology nets HK$45 million in mainland Chinese funding under Greater Bay Area
- Two scholars at University of Science and Technology win grants, from Guangdong provincial authorities and a Guangzhou-based lab
- Cash will back an oceans lab, and research into smart chips needed for 5G mobile data infrastructure
More than HK$45 million in research funds from mainland China are making their way to a Hong Kong university in the first cross-border grants for scientific collaboration within the Greater Bay Area.
Recipients at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said demonstration of knowledge in national policies and fulfilling key industrial needs were ways to stand out among applicants.
The grants come six months after Beijing rolled out a Greater Bay Area blueprint to turn nine cities in Guangdong province, plus Macau and Hong Kong, into a world-class cluster for technology and innovation to rival Silicon Valley by 2035. Under the scheme, universities and research institutions in Hong Kong and Macau can apply for research funds provided by authorities in Guangdong province and the nine cities.
Earlier this month, Qian Peiyuan, chair professor of the ocean science department at HKUST, got 38 million yuan (HK$42.27 million) from the Guangzhou-based Southern Laboratory of Ocean Science and Engineering, to build a Hong Kong branch for the lab.
Including two more instalments paid over three years, the lab will grant Qian a total of 114 million yuan (HK$126.6 million) to complete the whole project, which aims to launch a “world-class marine science research, development and education centre” by 2035.
And in July, a team studying optical electronic chips under Qian’s UST colleague Patrick Yue received nearly 3.17 million yuan (HK$3.53 million) from the Guangdong Provincial Science and Technology Department.
