30 years of CityU research, innovation showcased at major exhibition

A special exhibition celebrating the outstanding achievements in research and advanced technology over the past 30 years at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) is taking place from 22 September to 3 October.

VIPs from across the political, education, business and industry spectrum helped launched the event, which is titled “30 Years of Research and Innovation@CityU”, at a kick-off ceremony on 22 September.

Among the guests were Professor Li Lu, Director General of the Education, Science and Technology Department of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Miss Janet Wong Wing-chen, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology Commission; Mr Wong Ming-yam, Chairman of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute; Mrs Agnes Mak Tang Pik-yee, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Productivity Council; Dr Richard Armour, Secretary-General of the University Grants Committee; Dr Norman Leung Nai-pang, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the 30th Anniversary Organising Committee of CityU; Professor Way Kuo, CityU’s President; Professor Arthur Ellis, CityU’s Provost, and Professor Lu Jian, CityU’s Vice-President (Research and Technology).

“2014 is a special year for CityU as we are celebrating our 30th anniversary,” Dr Leung said.

“Starting out, CityU was just a humble polytechnic, but thanks to the efforts of our faculty, staff and students, we have transformed ourselves into an internationally renowned university that excels in research and professional education,” Dr Leung continued.

The exhibition was an opportunity to showcase CityU’s achievements to the community, and emphasised CityU’s commitment to excellence in research and professional education. “I am sure the showcase this year will provide an invaluable platform for CityU’s faculty and students to reach for even greater heights,” Dr Leung explained.

Professor Kuo said that in last 100 years industries in Hong Kong had moved from being a small family-size towards mass production and mass customisation, and towards the internet and innovation. Every step was based on quality improvement. Quality is equal to innovation; every incidence of innovation has to be based on quality. “We must have good quality to sustain ourselves,” he added. 

“It is exciting to see our colleagues demonstrate that CityU is based on quality and innovation. CityU’s innovation can be witnessed through the presence of the state key laboratories, the best researchers in Hong Kong and our numerous accomplishments here on campus,” he said.

Professor Lu said that showcasing CityU’s research every year to the public would help CityU develop research that had a positive impact on society. By transferring research results from the lecture theatres and laboratory to industry and business, CityU would help make Hong Kong and the region more competitive and would contribute to environmental development.

“30 Years of Research and Innovation@CityU” will feature exhibitions, demonstrations and large-scale forums plus work from the 35 CityU research centres and laboratories, the Knowledge Transfer Office, the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies, the CityU Shenzhen Research Institute, and the newly founded CityU Chengdu Research Institute.

In addition, there will be opportunities to witness the achievements of the Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films, the Ability R&D Energy Research Centre, the Centre for Robotics and Automation, and the CityU HK-UESTC Joint Research Center on Optical Fiber Sensing and Communications at the Shenzhen Research Institute.

In addition, the forums will give researchers from CityU and overseas space and time to share their expertise in four of the most outstanding CityU research areas, namely advanced materials, oceans and human health, advanced manufacturing, and wireless communications.