HONG KONG, Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — With a view to promoting the close collaboration of industry, universities and research institutes within the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area — Sichuan Province", enhancing the ability of the two areas to transform scientific and technological achievements, promoting the collaborative innovation of science and technology, and jointly creating a technological innovation highland and an important source of emerging industries, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and the City University of Hong Kong Chengdu Research Institute (CityUCRI) recently held a signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Mr Hugh CHOW, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, and Professor Jian LU, the then Vice-President (Research and Technology) of CityU and Director of CityUCRI, signed the MOU on behalf of the institutions.

Ir Sunny LEE Wai-Kwong, JP, Chairman of ASTRI and Vice-President (Administration) of CityU; Dr Lucas HUI Chi-Kwong, Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI; Dr Martin SZETO, Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI; Professor Michael YANG, Vice-President (Research and Technology) of CityU; and Dr Laura LO, Associate Vice-President (Chinese Mainland Affairs Office) of CityU attended the ceremony and witnessed the signing.  

Mr MA Jun, Director of New Economy and Technology Bureau, Shuangliu District of the Chengdu Municipal Government, Sichuan Province, Deputy Director Mr LI Ji, and Dr FENG Hao, Associate Director of CityUCRI, witnessed the ceremony through video links from Chengdu.

In accordance with the MOU, ASTRI and CityUCRI will cooperate in three major areas: communications technologies, artificial intelligence and big data analytics, and integrated circuits and systems. The parties plan to build a scientific research collaboration platform, hold regular academic forums in professional fields, jointly promote the implementation and commercialisation of their scientific and technological achievements, and cultivate technological talents, in order to deepen the scientific exchanges and strengthen complementary advantages and resource sharing, contributing to the mutual benefits between Sichuan and Hong Kong.

The parties have also established a three-year cooperation plan which includes holding large-scale exchange activities to showcase the scientific research outcomes of ASTRI and CityU to Mainland enterprises and promoting the commercialisation of their scientific research outcomes. When appropriate, ASTRI and CityU will jointly apply for Sichuan Province scientific research projects; and the parties also plan to establish a joint laboratory or a knowledge transfer centre located at the CityUCRI.

Professor Lu pointed out in his speech that CityU and ASTRI had established a solid scientific and technological cooperation relationship. He said the signing of the MOU symbolised a deeper and broader cooperation and development, which would provide innovative and high-quality technology services to Shuangliu District, Chengdu, and other cities in Sichuan province. He believed, on this solid basis of cooperation, CityU and ASTRI would join hands and carry out holistic collaboration in multiple fields and at multiple levels and establish a long-term stable relationship with deep friendship.

Mr Chow said the signing ceremony was an important milestone in the deepening of cooperation between the two parties, marking a new level of collaboration which promotes the close integration of industry, academia, and scientific research institutions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Sichuan. ASTRI, as the largest applied innovation and technology R&D centre funded by the government of Hong Kong, is committed to promoting innovation, with the mission of enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s technology-based industry and improving the lives of citizens. Mr Chow said that through this cooperation, ASTRI was pleased to bring high-quality scientific research outcomes to enterprises in Chengdu. ASTRI looked forward to the collaboration between the two parties in achieving more breakthroughs. Mr Chow also expressed his gratitude toward the leaders of Shuangliu District for their support in providing solid backing for the cooperation between ASTRI, CityU, and Sichuan enterprises. He hoped that everyone would work together to forge ahead and contribute to national development through scientific research.

Director MA emphasised that this MOU had deepened the cooperation and strengthened the sharing of resources between Sichuan and Hong Kong. It has a positive impact on promoting the aggregation of advantageous industrial chains in Shuangliu District and the development of industry-city integration. He pointed out that Shuangliu, as an important bearing site for the national-level Tianfu New District, Sichuan Free Trade Pilot Zone, and Chengdu Airport Economic Demonstration Zone, has become a hotspot for entrepreneurship, investment and development. He said the Shuangliu New Economy and Technology Bureau would continue to provide outstanding services and build an industrial ecosystem. With the goal of win-win development, the Bureau will spare no effort in building a "bridge of cooperation between Sichuan and Hong Kong" and creating a better tomorrow and a better future for all parties.

Cooperation background

As one of the strategic development platforms of City University of Hong Kong on the Mainland, the City University of Hong Kong Chengdu Research Institute (CityUCRI) is also the first industry-university-research cooperation platform of CityU in western China. It aims to build a "Hong Kong–Shenzhen–Chengdu" science and technology corridor and act as a "super-connector" in order to attract more superior cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to settle in Chengdu.

The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. To date, ASTRI has transferred almost 750 technologies to the industries and has been granted more than 850 patents on the Mainland, in the US and other countries.