National Natural Science Foundation of China delegation visits CityUHK
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) welcomed Director Dou Xiankang, Secretary and President of the CPC Leading Group of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with his delegation on 6 November. The delegation visited CityUHK to examine the implementation and funding effectiveness of the “National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars”, “Excellent Young Scientists Fund”, and “Young Scientists Fund”. This visit aims to enhance the funding support of the scientific funds for Hong Kong and Macao, and to provide decision-making references for expanding scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges between the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.
Professor Freddy Boey, President of CityUHK, along with members of the University’s senior management team, welcomed Director Dou and his team, which included Ms Wang Yan, Director General of the Bureau of Planning and Policy of the NSFC; Ms Wang Kun, Director General of the Bureau of Finance of the NSFC; Mr Yang Feng, Secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the NSFC; Mr Zhang Yongtao, Director General of the International Cooperation Bureau and the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs Office of the NSFC; and Ms Zhang Lin, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Affairs Office of the NSFC.
President Boey highlighted that the achievements of CityUHK scholars exemplify the robust growth of the nation’s scientific research capabilities in Hong Kong and Macao. In the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 2025 Asia University Rankings, CityUHK was ranked 10th in Asia, placing it in the top 1% of universities in Asia. As CityUHK celebrates its 30th Anniversary as a university this year, he emphasised that as a young and vibrant university, CityUHK will continue to promote innovative research and fulfil its mission of gathering and nurturing world-class talent.
He said, “CityUHK’s faculty, who come from all over the world, possess cutting-edge academic standards and a broad international perspective, with strong academic and research collaboration networks both domestically and internationally.”
He added that this year, CityUHK established several interdisciplinary research platforms that encourage industry–academia collaboration, including the Institute of Digital Medicine and the Hong Kong Institute of AI for Science. These initiatives aim to drive research and development in life and health sciences, data science, AI, medical science and public health, while also leading scientific research in the field of AI and fostering deep-tech start-ups.
Professor Anderson Shum, Vice-President (Research) of CityUHK presented and discussed the University’s research achievements. He mentioned that nearly 210 CityUHK scholars are listed among the “World's Top 2% Scientists”, the highest proportion in Hong Kong relative to the total number of faculty. Additionally, 31 CityUHK scholars were named in Clarivate’s “Highly Cited Researchers 2024”. In terms of faculty size, the percentage of the world’s most Highly Cited Researchers put CityUHK first in Hong Kong for the 9th consecutive year. CityUHK has also solidified its position as a leading hub for research and innovation in Hong Kong by topping local institutions for the 8th consecutive year in the prestigious Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents. He also highlighted CityUHK’s strengths in cross-disciplinary academic fields, emphasising that its excellent scientific research achievements will contribute to the needs of the country.
Other members of the senior management team present at the meeting included Professor Lee Chun-sing, Provost and Deputy President; Professor Chan Chi-hou, Vice-President (Community Engagement); Professor Wang Jianping, Dean of the College of Computing; Professor Lu Jian, Dean of the College of Engineering; Professor Wang Xin, Dean of the College of Science; Professor Chen Fu-rong, Associate Vice-President (Mainland Collaboration); Professor Sia Choon Ling, Associate Dean of the College of Business; Professor Yin Huiyong, Associate Dean of the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences; and Professor Wang Wenxiong, Associate Dean of the School of Energy and Environment.
The “Excellent Young Scientists Fund” has been open to researchers from Hong Kong and Macao since 2019. To date, 21 CityUHK scholars have received funding from the project. This year, Professor Xu Chenjie, from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, received RMB4 million from the “National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars”, which is the highest-level talent-development programme under the NSFC for young researchers and was opened to Hong Kong and Macao for the first time this year.