CityUHK deepens Sichuan–Hong Kong collaboration to promote innovation and development
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) is actively expanding comprehensive exchanges and collaboration with academic and research institutions, as well as cities, in mainland China, to enhance academic ties and foster mutual benefits.
Earlier, Professor Freddy Boey, President and University Distinguished Professor of CityUHK, led a delegation to visit Sichuan Province and met with several officials from the Sichuan Provincial and Chengdu Municipal Governments to exchange views on deepening collaboration. They also visited various universities and research institutes, toured the CityUHK Chengdu Research Institute, and connected with members of the CityUHK Sichuan alumni.
During the visit in Chengdu, President Boey met with Ms Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province. They exchanged views on promoting cooperation in education, science and technology, and talent development between Sichuan and Hong Kong. They also discussed enhancing collaboration mechanisms, deepening advanced joint talent training, and facilitating the transformation of research outcomes. Ms Shi expressed her desire to strengthen multi-level engagement between Sichuan and CityUHK and to attract more global innovation resources to the province.
Subsequently, President Boey met with Mr Cao Lijun, Standing Committee Member of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee, as well as Mr Chen Yanfu, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee. Mr Cao thanked CityUHK for its support for Chengdu’s development and stated that the municipal government would continue to support the growth of the CityUHK Chengdu Research Institute and promote local applications of scientific and technological achievements.
President Boey emphasised that Chengdu has a solid foundation in industry and innovation, and that CityUHK will leverage its strengths in internationalisation and research to further enhance the Chengdu Research Institute. He added that the University will deepen its cooperation with universities and institutions in Chengdu in areas such as biomedical sciences, energy technology and intellectual property commercialisation, aiming to advance research translation, talent exchange, and innovation and entrepreneurship development, thereby contributing to Chengdu’s high-quality growth.
The delegation also visited the Chengdu Research Institute, located in Shuangliu District, and engaged in discussions with representatives of the Shuangliu District Government on topics such as research collaboration, technology transfer and startup incubation. Since its launch in 2017, the Institute, with a total floor area of over 18,000 square metres, has become a major research and innovation platform for CityUHK in western China, supporting applied research, knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship incubation. The Research Institute recently signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and successfully facilitated the inclusion of an innovative medical device project in the first batch of pilot programmes for integrated innovative medical devices in Sichuan Province, demonstrating tangible progress in technology application and research translation.
In addition, the delegation attended a CityUHK Sichuan alumni gathering, where they shared updates on the University’s recent developments and collaboration under the Belt and Road Initiative. Alumni were encouraged to stay engaged and contribute to advancing education and research collaboration between Sichuan and Hong Kong for the benefit of society.