CityUHK tops Hong Kong in International Rankings; HK Tech 300 Recognised as a Model for Driving Innovation

As a leading university in research and innovation, City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) is committed to nurturing future leaders with a global perspective. In the latest “2025 Research Leaders: Leading Institutions” ranking released by the Nature Index, CityUHK was ranked No.1 in Hong Kong and 70th globally. Moreover, In the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Global Innovation Index (GII) 2025, the “Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou” cluster achieved the top position worldwide. CityUHK’s HK Tech 300 has been recognised by the government as a model for fostering a thriving innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem within higher education, further affirming the University's significant contributions to the innovative industry.

CityUHK is shining on the global stage with its outstanding research achievements. This year, the University’s faculty members and 10 start-ups from HK Tech 300 won a total of 33 awards at the 50th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. (Credit: City University of Hong Kong)

 

CityUHK was ranked No. 1 in Hong Kong and 70th globally in the latest “2025 Research Leaders: Leading Institutions” rankings, released by the Nature Index. This achievement reinforces CityUHK’s leadership in high-quality research output, exceptional research capabilities and international academic influence.

The ranking encompasses over 18,000 institutions globally, including universities, research organisations, government departments and other bodies. The Nature Index rankings are determined according to each institution’s article share in top-tier journals, including authoritative journals such as Nature, Science and The Lancet. CityUHK’s article share in two subjects, Physical Sciences and Chemistry, ranked in the global top 50 and first in Hong Kong, powerfully attesting to the excellent standard and high-quality impact of CityUHK researchers.

CityUHK shines on the global stage

In addition to its outstanding research achievements, CityUHK’s international rankings highlight its strength in advancing technology development. In the newly released THE World Rankings 2026, CityUHK achieved a record-high ranking of 73rd globally, rising five places from last year. This ranking evaluated 2,191 universities across 115 countries and territories. CityUHK continues to lead in two key areas, ranking first globally for “Industry” and first in Hong Kong for “International Outlook”, underscoring its excellence in industrial collaboration and global partnerships.

CityUHK has also garnered recognition from the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China. In September 2025, WIPO published the Global Innovation Index 2025 (GII 2025), ranking the "Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou" cluster first globally among the top 100 innovation clusters. Professor Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Government of the HKSAR cited HK Tech 300 as an exemplary initiative showing how institutions in Hong Kong are implementing various supports to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, thus driving the development of the innovation and technology ecosystem.

Ranked among the world’s top 100: a testament to CityUHK’s educational and research achievements

CityUHK consistently ranks among the world’s top 100 universities across four major global rankings. Along with THE World Rankings, the University has been listed among the top 100 in other rankings in China, the U.S., and the U.K., making it one of only two institutions in Hong Kong to achieve this distinction.

In August 2025, CityUHK broke into the global top 100 for the first time in the prestigious 2025 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, ranking 99th worldwide and 2nd in Hong Kong.  This achievement marks CityUHK as only the second university in Hong Kong to reach the global top 100, since the ranking’s launch in 2003 by the Centre for World-Class Universities, Graduate School of Education, at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

In the 2025–2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Rankings, CityUHK placed 54th among 2,250 universities worldwide – a significant leap of 25 places from last year. The University now ranks 9th in Asia and 3rd in Hong Kong.  Moreover, CityUHK secured 63rd position in the 2026 QS World University Rankings from the U.K., and it ranked 2nd globally in the "Citations per Faculty" indicator, just behind Harvard University.

CityUHK holds over 1,800 patented technologies, and 32 of its scholars were named “Highly Cited Researchers 2024” by Clarivate. When calculated as a proportion of the University’s overall faculty and research staff, CityUHK has ranked first in Hong Kong for nine consecutive years.

Professor Michael Ngai, Council Chairman of CityUHK (left), Professor Freddy Boey, CityUHK President (right) and Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, CityUHK Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise) (second from right) introduce the achievements of HK Tech 300 to Professor Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Government of the HKSAR (second from left), during the HK Tech 300 Expo in May 2025. (Credit: City University Hong Kong)

 

Professor Freddy Boey, CityUHK President and University Distinguished Professor, stated, “CityUHK has experienced remarkable growth in recent years. Our academic achievements and innovative research are widely recognised both locally and internationally. We are consistently ranked among the world’s top 100 universities across four major global rankings, reflecting our unwavering commitment to innovation and academic excellence, which continue to earn international acclaim.”

“CityUHK will further advance international education and research collaboration, addressing global challenges through pioneering research and industry-academic-research partnerships. We aim to nurture future leaders with a global vision and reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a hub for higher education in Asia and beyond,” President Boey added.

HK Tech 300 fosters the development of deep-tech start-ups’

Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, CityUHK Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise), emphasised that this achievement reaffirms CityUHK’s leading position in high-quality research output, exceptional research capabilities, and international academic influence.

“CityUHK is dedicated to translating its world-class research and technologies into practical applications, facilitating industrialisation and commercialisation.  In 2021, CityUHK launched HK Tech 300 to support the development of a start-up ecosystem, through funding, technologies, business and investment networks,” he added. So far, HK Tech 300 has nurtured over 1,000 start-up teams, over 200 of which have been awarded up to HK$1 million in angel funding.  Notably, 20% of these start-ups joined the programme by leveraging CityUHK’s intellectual property.

To foster collaboration among the government, industry, academia, research, investment, and application sectors, HK Tech 300 has partnered with over 100 public and private organisations, which serve as strategic and investment partners. To date, HK Tech 300 has achieved a multiplier effect of five times in external funding for every dollar invested. This effectively promotes resource sharing for innovation and entrepreneurship in Hong Kong and around the world, providing greater opportunities for start-ups to thrive.