Professor Chen Shih-chi and Professor Siew Ng are among the five scholars who received the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize (STIP) 2024 on 16 December for their outstanding research achievements. They will each receive a prize of HK$2 million.

Professor Chen, of CUHK’s Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, is awarded for his contributions in the field of advanced manufacturing. He has made breakthroughs in the field of 3D micro-nano manufacturing. By leveraging spatial and temporal focusing techniques, along with digital holography, he has developed a suite of innovative methods to parallelise the 3D printing process, achieving significant improvements in printing speed, resolution and yield, while reducing costs by 95%.

Professor Chen’s work applies the high-speed printing process to a wide range of materials, which enable the mass production of functional micro- and nanostructures that span numerous industries.

Professor Ng, Croucher Professor in Medical Sciences and Assistant Dean of Medicine (Development) of CUHK, won the award for her achievements in the field of life and health. A renowned clinician-scientist in gastrointestinal diseases and microbiome medicine, Professor Ng has discovered disease-specific microbial signatures targeting inflammatory bowel disease and autism spectrum disorder, and she and her team have translated these signatures into clinically applicable non-invasive diagnostic tests. Her innovations address the diagnostic challenges for over eight million people with gastrointestinal symptoms and 75 million children with neurodevelopmental conditions.

Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sham Mai-har said it was an honour for CUHK that two of its professors were awarded the innovation prize. “This honour not only acknowledges their contributions but also underscores the University’s excellence in research. I look forward to seeing both professors continue to push the boundaries of innovation and contribute further to societal advancement,” she said.

Established by the Hong Kong Alliance of Technology and Innovation and sponsored by the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, the prize aims to reward outstanding scientists and research teams who have made significant contributions to scientific and technological innovation, as well as the transformation of scientific and technological achievements in Hong Kong. Guests at the ceremony also included Fang Jianming, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in the HKSAR; Wu Cheng, Deputy Director General of Education and Technology Department in the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary; and Xing Guiwei, Deputy Chief Executive at Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited.