CityUHK establishes five JC STEM Labs to foster interdisciplinary research

21 Jul 2025

group photo — CityUHK celebrates the opening of the first batch of five new JC STEM Labs, established with the generous support of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. (From left) Professor Ren Yang, Professor Lee Duu-Jong, Professor Li Wen Jung, Professor Lee Chun-sing, Ms Elsie Tsang, Professor Chan Chi-hou, Professor Wang Xin, Professor Takashi Hibiki and Professor Fang Yuguang.

City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) is pleased to announce the opening of the first batch of five Jockey Club STEM Labs (JC STEM Labs), made possible by generous support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The five Labs have been established with initial funding of HK$48.76 million from the Trust and more Labs will be inaugurated in the coming months.

CityUHK is a pioneer in the fields the JC STEM Labs will focus on. As such, their establishment aligns with its commitment to promoting and advocating research excellence. CityUHK is revolutionising the landscape of innovation through a multi-faceted approach that includes creating cutting-edge research institutes, cultivating a vibrant innovation ecosystem, and transforming the campus into a dynamic sandbox for experimentation and creativity.

Officiating at the JC STEM Labs’ inauguration ceremony on 3 July were Professor Lee Chun-sing, Provost and Deputy President at CityUHK; Ms Elsie Tsang, Executive Manager of Charities (Talent and Sector Development) at The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), Professor Li Wen Jung, Vice-President (Talent and International Strategy) and Professor Chan Chi-hou, Vice-President (Community Engagement) at CityUHK. They were joined by five CityUHK Global STEM Professors — Professor Lee Duu-Jong, Professor Wang Xin, Professor Ren Yang, Professor Takashi Hibiki and Professor Fang Yuguang — the directors of the JC STEM Labs.

Professor Lee Chun-sing expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Trust for its support. “We are honoured and immensely grateful to the HKJC for being our long-standing partner in nurturing STEM talent and advancing education and technological development in the local community,” he said. “Each lab focuses on a unique research area and is poised to deliver impactful discoveries and innovative outcomes that benefit Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond.”

The JC STEM Lab of Energy and Materials Physics, led by Professor Ren Yang from the Department of Physics, introduces its facilities and research projects to Ms Tsang.

Ms Tsang said, “Talent and Sector Development is a vital focus area for the Trust. Today, we witness the establishment of five JC STEM Labs, a strategic donation by the Trust to nurture STEM talent within the community. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust invests in these labs to enhance STEM talent and applied research capabilities. This initiative reflects our commitment to societal progress by empowering local innovators, fostering industry partnerships and addressing pressing challenges.”

The five labs specialise in distinct fields:

JC STEM Lab of Circular Bio-economy, led by Professor Lee Duu-Jong from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, aims to become a research and technology hub for developing key processes and establishing an academic framework and industrial consortium to realise a circular bio-economy for Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
JC STEM Lab of Electrocatalysis and Electrosynthesis, led by Professor Wang Xin from the Department of Chemistry, utilises electrochemical synthesis to achieve the ultimate goal of zero-carbon energy and sustainable synthesis.
JC STEM Lab of Energy and Materials Physics, led by Professor Ren Yang from the Department of Physics, specialises in the fundamental and applied research of advanced materials for green energy and technology advancements using state-of-the-art scientific facilities.
JC STEM Lab of Innovative Thermo-Fluid Science, led by Professor Takashi Hibiki from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has significant potential to enhance zero-carbon direct emissions nuclear energy research and address gaps in local energy research, thereby contributing to the strategy of ‘Net-zero electricity generation’ under Hong Kong’s Climate Action Plan 2050.
JC STEM Lab of Smart City, led by Professor Fang Yuguang from the Department of Computer Science, focuses on smart city initiatives, the low-altitude economy and corresponding IoT applications, particularly in smart transportation (e.g. autonomous and connected driving and intelligent traffic control), public safety and public health monitoring, smart health, and smart networking (including computing power networks).

Ms Tsang (fourth from left) meets with the CityUHK research teams of the JC STEM Lab of Circular Bio-economy.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust established the JC STEM Lab Initiative in 2021 to support the laboratory set-up for the awarded scholars under the Government-initiated Global STEM Professorship Scheme. The initiative aims to nurture STEM talent in Hong Kong and promote the translation of new science and technology into social impact.