Interdisciplinary Research
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) aspires to be a leading university at the cutting edge of innovation and a global pioneer in interdisciplinary research and education. The University is dedicated to delivering world-class education and conducting impactful research that advances knowledge development and transforms the society.
Our Approach
CityUHK places interdisciplinary research and innovation at the heart of its mission to address global challenges. The Strategic Plan 2025-30: Innovating into the Future highlights this commitment by establishing new research institutes and engaging faculty in cross-disciplinary innovation.
Interdisciplinary research is advanced at multiple levels through research institutes and centres with strong administrative support and state-of-the-art facilities and through faculty recruitment, performance review and promotion processes that encourage collaboration across disciplines. This integrated approach ensures that interdisciplinary research is embedded in the University’s culture and supported at the operation level.
Research Initiatives
Research Fundings and Projects
CityUHK provides robust support for interdisciplinary research through a comprehensive range of internal and external funding opportunities. The University offers dedicated internal schemes, such as the Strategic Seed Fund and Booster Fund, together with administrative support and guidance to researchers throughout the various stages of research. This ranges from nurturing early ideas to strengthening research capacity, enabling researchers to compete successfully for local and international funding, particularly large-scale collaborative initiatives that foster cross-disciplinary impact.
Through these efforts, CityUHK faculty have secured a significant number of prestigious collaborative grants, including schemes under the Research Grants Council (RGC), for instance, Area of Excellence Scheme, Collaborative Research Fund, National Natural Science Foundation of China/ RGC Joint Research Scheme, National Natural Science Foundation of China/ RGC Collaborative Research Fund, Research Impact Fund, Strategic Topics Grant, Theme-based Research Scheme, and Young Collaborative Research Grant. Many of these projects are led by CityUHK researchers, demonstrating the University’s strong leadership in driving interdisciplinary research across multiple fields.
These funded projects span a wide range of disciplines and departments — from engineering and materials science to biomedical sciences, data science, energy, and beyond — highlighting the depth and breadth of cross-disciplinary collaboration at CityUHK.
Research Institutes and Centres
To further promote interdisciplinary collaboration, CityUHK has established multiple research institutes and centres that serve as vibrant platforms for researchers from diverse scientific, engineering and social science backgrounds. These institutes and centres are supported by administrative and technical staff to facilitate their daily operations, and many have access to laboratories, specialised equipment, or collaborative workspaces that support interdisciplinary research.
Notably, the following institutes have been established at the institutional level to address pressing global challenges:
- Institute of Digital Medicine (IDM) harnesses the University’s research strengths in engineering, data science and life science to develop innovative technologies and explore digital health solutions for the long-term benefit of patients via interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Hong Kong Institute of AI for Science (HKAI-Sci) advances artificial intelligence as a driver of scientific research and serves as an international hub that brings scientists from different disciplines to work on transformative projects.
- Institute for Materials Innovation, a joint initiative by CityUHK and EPFL, leverages the unique strengths of both institutions to promote interdisciplinary collaboration across diverse scientific disciplines and facilitate interaction between academia, industry and investors.
- Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy (HKICE) provides a vibrant platform for professional from diverse background to develop sustainable and new energy solutions and train next-generation leaders for the future.
- Institute of Global Governance and Innovation for a Shared Future (IGGI) brings together academics to explore innovative approaches to global governance and sustainability that combines expertise from various fields. .
- Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study aspires to be an international centre of excellence for the advancement of technology and innovation by bring together an interdisciplinary team of world-renowned scholars and researchers to contribute solutions to pressing real-world problems.
On national-level support, CityUHK has hosted two State Key Laboratories, one in marine environmental health and the other in terahertz and millimetre waves, and maintains a network of college- and school-level research centres. In addition, the University houses the Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Centre, advancing precious metals and nanomaterials research. These platforms collectively strengthen the University’s capacity to deliver innovative solutions. A full list of research institutes and centres is available here.
Faculty Development and Advancement
CityUHK is home to notable scholars and promotes interdisciplinary research to extend knowledge and address real-world problems. The university emphasises on building critical mass in interdisciplinary work and invests in faculty development.
Global Scholar Recruitment
CityUHK recruits exceptional scholars worldwide to join us on substantiation-track in all academic fields. Pioneering recruitment schemes and joint-department appointment are set up to attract global talents and interdisciplinary scholars.
Distinguished Visiting Professors Scheme is an international collaborative research initiative to elevate the University’s international research network, enhance research collaboration and expand the academic talent pool. The scheme invites outstanding academics with proven excellence in research and innovation from world-renowned universities or research institutions to join CityUHK and foster interdisciplinary collaboration with our faculty.
The Presidential Assistant Professors Scheme and the Global Research Assistant Professors Scheme are innovative initiatives designed to attract and nurture top talents and promising early-career researchers. These schemes aim to create a competitive platform for exceptional young scholars from diverse academic backgrounds, fostering their development into world-class scholars and academic leaders.
CityUHK seeks to establish a vibrant academic environment and a robust global network by encouraging innovative research directions and cross-disciplinary collaborations.
Performance Review and Promotion
The performance assessment criteria and standards are regularly reviewed to ensure that they reflect the evolution of academic disciplines and the growing importance of interdisciplinary research. One of the Key Performance Indicators specifically evaluates our faculty’s interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary research, and multi-author publications.
Furthermore, when recommending faculty for promotion, departments must detail the candidate's contributions to interdisciplinary groups along with any relevant collaborative activities. This approach ensures that the promotion process recognises and values faculty involvement in interdisciplinary research and collaboration.
For details, please refer to the following guidelines:
General Guidelines on Establishment and Approval of Assessment Criteria and Standards