Welcome to the 49th edition of CUHK in Focus.
I was truly delighted to lead a delegation of CUHK senior management and faculty members on a significant trip to Beijing and Shanghai two weeks ago, aimed at enhancing our time-honoured and robust collaborations we have built with key mainland partners – efforts that have taken years to cultivate. During our visit, we engaged in fruitful discussions that underscored CUHK’s esteemed reputation as a trusted partner in education, research, and innovation development.
In Beijing, we were honoured to meet with leaders from the Ministry of Education, where we explored future opportunities for fostering research cooperation and nurturing innovative talent. We also visited several key organisations and universities, including the Chinese Service Centre for Scholarly Exchange, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Peking University, the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission, and the Beijing Talent Work Bureau, laying the groundwork to further build upon our solid foundations for even more exciting opportunities ahead.
One of the key highlights of our trip was the World Philanthropy Forum jointly organised by CUHK and Tsinghua University where I was honoured to deliver an opening address. Philanthropy has a vital role to play in stimulating social progress around the world. CUHK is deeply committed to our University Social Responsibility goals, and is determined to give back to society by leveraging philanthropic causes and driving social impact initiatives that will bring positive change locally, nationally and globally.
Following our three-day stay in Beijing, we headed to Shanghai for the CUHK-Shanghai Yangpu Week to celebrate the first anniversary of the CUHK Shanghai Centre and CUHK InnoPort@Shanghai. The event featured a large-scale exhibition showcasing the research achievements and innovative technologies developed by CUHK and CUHK-Shenzhen, as well as the diversity of academic offerings at the two campuses. In addition, we celebrated the establishment of the Shanghai base of CUHK’s Office of Admissions and Financial Aid, which will serve as a major gateway for mainland students and parents to the rich academic opportunities offered by CUHK. Our joint efforts with the local government culminated in the announcement of five translational research projects set to enter CUHK InnoPort@Shanghai. These pioneering projects will deliver cutting-edge advancements in medical analytics and robotics, wearable rehabilitation technologies, and network coding.
We also had fruitful meetings with representatives from Yangpu District, Fudan University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, SenseTime, and other strategic partners. Cooperation agreements were signed, including the establishment of a dual-degree programme in Financial Technology and Finance with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, reflecting our mutual determination to foster partnerships with mainland partners on innovation, talent cultivation and entrepreneurial development.
During our visit, we were proud to unveil a number of new projects with the Yangpu District Government, including programmes on student internship, digital economy and community engagement, signaling a new chapter of partnership between CUHK and the Yangpu District. We are eager to harness the advantages of Hong Kong and Shanghai to promote academic exchange, nurture talents and advance cross-border collaborations on interdisciplinary research, innovation and entrepreneurship for the collective benefits of our communities.
We were pleased to enjoy special dinners hosted by our vibrant alumni communities in both Beijing and Shanghai, where we shared our latest achievements and learned about their successes. Overall, these two trips offered us invaluable opportunities to highlight CUHK’s distinctive strengths in advancing collaborative efforts in the mainland. It is truly gratifying to witness the fruits of our labour, extending CUHK’s eminent academic stature beyond the borders of the Greater Bay Area into the strategic areas of Beijing and Shanghai, and contributing to the national agenda on research, innovation, and education, leveraging our prominent international standing, extensive network, and academic excellence.
The first student-run café
It gave me great pleasure to attend the grand opening of the first student-run café at CUHK last week. “The Infinity Room” is the winning venture of the pitching competition in CU-SuCCeSS, a collaborative programme launched by the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services and the Minor Programme in Entrepreneurship and Innovation last year. In support of the University’s mission of nurturing innovative minds and fostering entrepreneurship, the programme provided students with extensive training to cultivate their creativity and sharpen their business acumen, preparing them for a pitching competition, the winning team of which was granted the opportunity to operate a coffee shop at John Fulton Centre for up to two years.
Stepping into “The Infinity Room” for the first time, I found myself enveloped by an infinite sense of warmth and aesthetic pleasure, as its name implies. Every corner of the coffee shop was meticulously designed by the team of four behind this venture and adorned by artworks created by talented CUHK students. I truly appreciate our students’ commitment to entrepreneurship and passion for creating a new social-cultural hub for the University community. It is exciting to see how they have transformed their start-up idea into a thriving business. I hope “The Infinity Room” will flourish as a space to connect the CUHK community through the appreciation of food, drinks and arts.
A tribute to outstanding athletes
As the Paris Paralympics drew to a close last week, I know you will all be as proud as I am to see members of the University community compete in the Games too. Our student athlete and para-badminton player, Chu Man-kai, and CUHK’s honorary fellow, master’s alumna and veteran fencer, Alison Yu Chui-yee, impressed us with their exceptional display of perseverance and resilience throughout the Games. They have been a shining example of dedication and a beacon of hope to all Hong Kong residents. I am deeply grateful to them for demonstrating to us the true spirit of sportsmanship and showing us that determination and a positive attitude are the key to overcoming obstacles.
I look forward to sharing more stories with you in the next edition.
Best wishes,
Professor Rocky S. Tuan
Vice-Chancellor and President
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
