CityUHK research excels with funding for three projects from the RAISe+ Scheme, for a total of 12 funded projects
Three distinguished scholars and their research teams from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), through groundbreaking achievements in AI, robotics, new materials, new energy, and electrical and electronic engineering, have been awarded grants under the third batch of the “Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme (RAISe+ Scheme)” of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
This demonstrates CityUHK’s commitment to excellence in high-quality research and innovation, driving the transformation of the University’s world-class technologies into practical solutions for global challenges, creating commercial and social value. With the latest announcement, CityUHK has now secured funding for 12 projects under the RAISe+ Scheme.
Professor Michael Yeung Mengsu, Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise) of CityUHK, congratulated all the University’s research teams. He emphasised that their scientific achievements effectively address industry and societal needs, showcasing CityUHK’s commitment to excellence through innovation and pioneering research. By collaborating closely with both government and industry, CityUHK is injecting new impetus into the development of innovation and entrepreneurship in Hong Kong and beyond, delivering meaningful societal benefits.
The Innovation and Technology Commission of the Government of the HKSAR recently announced the third batch of projects to receive funding support under the RAISe+ Scheme. CityUHK’s three funded projects are as follows:
“Industrial-Scale Intelligent Sensor Commercialization Using Synergistic Generative Micro-Nano Manufacturing Platform”, led by Professor Li Wen Jung, Vice-President (Talent and International Strategy) and Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at CityUHK. The project integrates AI and micro-nano manufacturing technologies to drive the industrialisation of advanced high-precision IMUs and multimodal E-skin modules, empowering the development of robotics and embodied intelligence in electric vehicles. These multimodal E-Skin modules can be applied in manufacturing, humanoid and household robots, fostering technology transformation and advanced manufacturing, positioning Hong Kong as a global hub for intelligent sensing technology.
“PV Plus: Enhanced Photovoltaic Output and Integrated Seawater Resource Extraction”, led by Professor Lu Jian, Dean of the College of Engineering and Senior Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study at CityUHK. The project addresses the challenges of reduced power generation efficiency, lower output and greater maintenance requirements resulting from the overheating of PV panels. Interfacial seawater desalination enables efficient cooling of PV panels, along with the extraction of high-value elements such as lithium from seawater at low cost and high yield. The project aims to help alleviate resource shortages, unlocking a multi-billion-dollar market.
“Ultra-Fast Photonic Chiplet Engine for Scalable AI Cluster Networks”, led by Professor Wang Cheng, from the Department of Electrical Engineering at CityUHK. This project is dedicated to the industrialisation and scalable production of a new generation of ultra-fast photonic chiplet engines, designed to overcome the interconnect bottlenecks in large-scale AI deployments. This breakthrough technology tackles the efficiency and energy-consumption limitations of conventional optical modules, delivering higher transmission speeds, extended communication distance and reduced energy consumption. Enhanced by advanced packaging flexibility, it ensures seamless integration across diverse deployment environments, thereby facilitating adoption in data centres.
Launched in October 2023, the RAISe+ Scheme aims to fund, on a matching basis, at least 100 research teams from the eight universities funded by the University Grants Committee, targeting projects with strong potential to become successful start-ups. Funding support from HK$10 million to HK$100 million will be provided for each approved project. Nine projects from CityUHK were awarded in the first two batches. Together with the latest announcement, CityUHK has now received funding for 12 projects under the RAISe+ Scheme.