TRANSLATING HKU KNOW-HOW

The invention developed by Dr Wilton Fok’s team won two special grand prizes – the Invention & Innovation CAI Award (China Delegation) and the Prize of the Delegation of Malaysia – and a gold medal at the 48th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions (see Technology to detect falls, abuse and other anomalies).

HKU research has brought substantial benefits to people’s lives – our world-leading contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic are but one example – and we are continuing to ramp up the translation of our research. In 2022–23, 90 new patents were granted and an income of HK$27.78 million was generated through commercialisation of existing IP rights. Recent years have also seen more than 280 HKU-affiliated start-ups launched, including two unicorns (Ecoflow and Aftership, both founded by HKU graduates and now valued at over US$1 billion each). Through the Techno-Entrepreneurship Core, HKU is also seeking to reconnect with all start-ups that were initially seeded at the University. The InnoValley: 2023 HKU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge, launched nationwide in April, invites entries from all HKU-affiliated innovators and innovations across Mainland China. More than 200 applications have been received from six cities and they are being showcased around the country, building up to a grand finale at HKU in December 2023.

HKU inventions also performed strongly at the 48th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions held in April 2023. 19 awards were received for 17 inventions, including two special grand prizes, one gold medal with the Congratulations of the Jury, six gold medals, six silver medals and four bronze medals.

ANTI-VIRAL LEADERS

From left: HKU microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok Yung, acclaimed Columbia University virologist Professor David Ho and HKU Dean of Medicine Professor Lau Chak Sing.

HKU, the University of Cambridge and the International Vaccine Institute signed an MoU on November 15, 2023, with the aid of global research support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, to establish the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute.

To support work on epidemic preparedness, HKU, the University of Cambridge and the International Vaccine Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the international headquarters of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute (HKJCGHI) at HKUMed. The HKJCGHI will focus on pandemic preparedness, translating research into preventive interventions such as vaccines, and advancing the access, equity and affordability of such interventions with the aid of global research support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Separately, Professor Yuen Kwok Yung, Henry Fok Professor in Infectious Diseases of the Department of Microbiology established the Global Pandemic Research Alliance with virologist Professor David Ho of Columbia University and experts from institutes in Mainland China, Australia and Singapore, to conduct research on emerging infectious diseases. Professor Yuen also signed an MOU with the Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity on innovative drug development for infectious diseases. Furthermore, his team’s 2020 research paper documenting the first human-to-human transmission of the virus causing COVID-19 was named by The Lancet as one of 34 landmark papers in the journal’s entire 200-year history.

AI ALGORITHMS FOR ARCHITECTURE

Dr Frank Xue (second from left) and the iLab team.

A team from the iLab in the Faculty of Architecture won a gold and silver award at the international 2023 IEEE / CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, outmatching teams from other leading universities around the world. The conference had a competition to see which algorithms could most accurately reconstruct an existing building from scanned data. The HKU team, led by Dr Frank Xue, won gold in the category Scan-to-BIM 3D for their AI-based method to create a 3D BIM model, and silver for converting a point cloud scan into a 2D architectural drawing. BIM stands for Building Information Modelling, which lets architects and surveyors create a complete and detailed digital model of a building, including furniture and appliances. “There is an urgent need for Scan-to-BIM algorithms and software, which not only perform the entire process much faster, but are also much more accurate than current methods,” Dr Xue said.

LUNAR LEADER

Dr Qian Yuqi’s team obtained approval from the China National Space Administration’s Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Centre to study the lunar soil samples.

Postdoctoral fellow Dr Qian Yuqi in the Department of Earth Sciences has led the first team in Hong Kong to obtain a lunar soil sample for study. The achievement comes on the back of his earlier work that argued volcanic activity happened on the moon more recently than previously believed. The area Dr Qian pinpointed was the landing site of the Chinese lunar probe Chang’e-5 in 2020 and scientists have confirmed his prediction, reshaping the understanding of lunar history. Earlier this year, he obtained approval to retrieve a lunar soil sample collected by the Chang’e-5 probe, weighing 822.6 milligrams, which was then brought to HKU for further study. “This is a dream come true for us and Hong Kong’s space science community. We hope to reveal the secrets of the moon and gain insights into the early Earth, which could have important implications for our understanding of the solar system and beyond,” he said.

TECHNOLOGY TO DETECT FALLS, ABUSE AND OTHER ANOMALIES

From left: Dr Alfred Tan, Deputy Director of Technology Transfer Office; Ms Carol Chen, Project Manager; Dr Wilton Fok, Director of Sports AI Laboratory; Professor Anderson Shum, HKU Associate Vice-President (Research and Innovation).

Real-time detection of falls from thermal images.

Artificial intelligence technology developed by Dr Wilton Fok’s team in the Sports AI Laboratory of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering was awarded two special grand prizes (Invention & Innovation CAI Award and Prize of the Delegation of Malaysia) and a gold medal at the 48th Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions in April. The Glance and Focus AI Anomalies Detection technology can analyse human posture and movements via real-time video to identify anomalies such as falls, fainting, abuse, drowning or criminal behaviour. It can be deployed to provide timely alerts for rescue efforts and help prevent accidents. The team have also received funding from the government’s Smart Traffic Fund to explore the use of thermal images in analysing pedestrian movements at traffic light junctions and determine if individuals in need, such as the elderly, children, or disabled, can be given an extended flashing green time to cross the road and enhance road safety. The team members include Dr Wu Yik Chung, Dr Qi Xiaojuan and Ms Carol Chen.

ACCOLADES FOR RESEARCH EXCELLENCE

HKU scholars were widely honoured in 2023 for the excellence of their work and their contributions to many disciplines. In November, a record high number of 50 academics were named among the ‘Highly Cited Researchers 2023’ by Clarivate for producing multiple highly cited papers that ranked in the top 1% by citations during 2012–22, a significant increase from 38 named last year. HKU also ranked 13th globally among all institutions on the list and its rise was acknowledged by Clarivate as contributing to Hong Kong’s ascent into the Top 10 nations and regions of 2023.

HKU IS RANKED

13TH

GLOBALLY BY THE NUMBER
OF HIGHLY CITED RESEARCHERS

Accolades were also bestowed on 10 HKU professors named among the top 100 best scientists in their discipline by Research.com in its 2023 Best Scientists, and three ranked among the top 10 in the world: Professor Yuen Kwok Yung, Henry Fok Professor in Infectious Diseases and Chair of Infectious Diseases, in Microbiology; Professor Mak Tak Wah, Honorary Professor at the Department of Pathology, in Molecular Biology; and Professor Zhao Guochun, Chair Professor of Earth Sciences, in Earth Sciences. Research.com also ranked six HKU professors as first in their fields in China – the most of any university in the nation.

Other honours were bestowed on researchers in specific disciplines, such as the AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar Annual List, which included six HKU scholars. Selected highlights of honours for senior professors include Professor Vivian Yam, Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy, who became the first Asian and first Chinese awarded the prestigious Bailar Medal (2023–24) for contributions to inorganic chemistry; mathematician Professor Mok Ngai Ming, Edmund and Peggy Tse Professor in Mathematics and Chair of Mathematics, who is the first Hong Kong recipient of the Tan Kah Kee Science Award in Mathematics and Physics (2022); and Professor Sun Hongzhe, Norman and Cecilia Yip Professor in Bioinorganic Chemistry and Chair Professor of Chemistry, who was awarded the 2023 Horizon Prize by the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Dalton Prize Committee. Dr Joseph Michalski became the first non-Chinese recipient of the Xplorer Prize (2023) funded by Tencent’s New Cornerstone Science Foundation. The latter also offered grants to three scientists through the New Cornerstone Investigator Program to support their excellence in basic research: Professor Yao Wang, Chair Professor of Physics; Professor Zhang Shuang, Interim Head and Chair Professor of Physics; and Professor He Xuhua, Chair Professor of Mathematics.

INAUGURAL ASIAN YOUNG SCIENTIST FELLOW

Dr Yang Yi, Assistant Professor of Physics, was one of 12 exceptional early-career scientists from the Asia region selected as an inaugural Fellow of the Asian Young Scientist Fellowship, based on his track record and future potential in optical physics and photonics. Nominations for the fellowships came from around 500 deans and heads of university faculties and research institutes around the region. Dr Yang was also named one of 35 Innovators Under 35 for China in 2022 by MIT Technology Review and was a recipient of the 2022 Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau).

YOUNG INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR

Dr Yuan Shuofeng, Assistant Professor of Microbiology, has made headway in antiviral therapies that could address the next pandemic, and his research successes have resulted in a bumper year. In 2023, he was named one of the top Innovators Under 35 in the Asia Pacific region by MIT Technology Review, as well as one of eight HKU recipients of the Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau) by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for his project on druggable antiviral targets. Dr Yuan was also bestowed the HKU Young Innovator Award in March 2023 for his work on small-molecule drugs that could provide cheap and effective treatment against the next pandemic threat.

Watch the HKU Young Innovator Award video

HELPING THE COMMUNITY

HKU launched the Wellness@HKU initiative to promote campus health and well-being.

The University actively encourages scholars to apply their research for the benefit of people and the community. In 2023, we sharpened that encouragement with a new funding scheme that rewards scholars who aim for international as well as local impact. The Strategic Impact Scheme, launched in March, awards up to HK$500,000 to new projects in seven globally strategic areas – green and sustainable energy; health and medical technologies; industry 4.0; smart cities; food security and nutrition; use of IT in education; and community engagement for governance and law. This is in addition to our ongoing Impact Project Scheme, which awards up to HK$150,000 to each project. Knowledge exchange (KE) is also promoted through the annual KE Excellence Awards at both the faculty and university levels. An example of the reach of our KE work is the project ‘Revitalising Hong Kong’s Abandoned Villages – Mui Tsz Lam & Kop Tong’ from the Faculty of Social Sciences, which has had more than 840,000 views on Instagram.

Social responsibility and a sense of community are encouraged among students through curricular and co-curricular activities. Many experiential learning and capstone projects include these elements, which aim to not only develop students’ professional and ‘soft’ skills, but also make them cognisant of their deeper connections and roles within society. This is part of the bigger picture of whole-person development, which is also a valued part of students’ education. In 2023, we launched the student- staff partnership, Wellness@HKU, a communication platform to promote mental and physical health and well-being on campus.

OUTREACH FOR THE ELDERLY

The Faculty of Dentistry has partnered with an NGO to establish a community-based outreach programme in community centres for the elderly.

More than 90% of older people have dental caries and around half of them remain untreated, often put off by a lack of dental knowledge or the cost of dental care. While the Hong Kong Government offers several dental care services, these are only available to limited groups and most older adults have difficulty choosing and accessing an appropriate service. To address this problem, the Faculty of Dentistry has been working with an NGO to establish a community-based outreach programme in community centres for the elderly.

Volunteer dental professionals do check-ups, basic procedures and dental care promotion, while the NGO follows up with advice on available services, either at government clinics or their affiliated charitable dental clinics. The programme has helped more than 700 elderly in the past three years. The Faculty coordinates the programme and provides an outreach service to train dental professionals and staff in elderly community centres. “This model is sustainable and it reaches more people who might not otherwise get dental care. We hope it can be adopted by the government and become a community-wide service in future,” said Dr Ollie Yu Yiru, Clinical Assistant Professor, who is leading the project.

INCLUSIVE EMPLOYMENT FOCUS

As a resource-matching platform connecting different sectors, the ‘InMatch’ mobile app fosters a conducive environment in which communities of interest can engender a socially inclusive and cohesive society, while also facilitating more efficient and effective allocation of community resources.

More than 500,000 Hong Kong people have disabilities and their job prospects are discouraging. Their unemployment rate is double that of the general population and fewer than half of people with disabilities who have post-secondary qualifications are employed. A three-year Jockey Club-funded project, launched in 2020, is trying to improve the situation by raising awareness and designing collective action. The Centre for Civil Society and Governance is the convening organisation and is working with four partner NGOs.

Early on, the Centre conducted a diagnostic study of the current situation and policy responses, followed by nine public seminars attended by more than 480 stakeholders to identify key areas of improvement. It has also created an online platform of information for people with disabilities, employers, social sector practitioners and other interested parties, as well as a mobile application linking to community resources. The next phase, launching in 2024, will reach out to business organisations and promote the benefits of inclusive employment, given that multiple overseas studies show it can improve staff retention, profitability and total shareholder return.

PROMOTING AIDS PREVENTION THROUGH ENRICHMENT MODULE

Donald (second from right) giving a talk regarding the appropriate use of antibiotics to ethnic minorities in April 2023.

Year 4 Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) students are spending two days a week during their second semester working with an NGO or academic institution of their choice. This Enrichment Module, launched in 2022–23, gives students deeper experience in real settings so they can apply and expand their knowledge. Donald Lee, a 2023 BPharm graduate, worked with AIDS Concern, where he used his knowledge to contribute information posters, give a talk to ethnic minorities on the proper use of antibiotics, design leaflets for doctors on medical treatments and approaches to sexual and gender minorities during consultations, and join a podcast about HIV prevention in the community. The experience helped him understand common problems faced by sexual and ethnic minorities and build up his presentation and communication skills. “I also gained a better understanding of the operation of an NGO. My contribution to AIDS Concern was valued by them, which boosted my confidence. I have not confirmed my future career path, but I am considering being a pharmacist in an NGO.”

OVERCOMING COMMUNICATION BARRIERS

The team conducting an interview with a stroke patient and his caregiver in the Hong Kong Stroke Association.

Speech-Language Pathology students are participating in a project to understand the difficulties experienced by people with aphasia during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to help them in future. Aphasia affects the ability to understand, speak, read and write, and is often an outcome after a stroke. The three-year project, led by Dr Anthony Kong Pak Hin, was launched in 2022–23 for primarily Year 4 students, who this year interviewed people with aphasia and documented and investigated the challenges they face (students in subsequent years will develop plans and strategies to help people with aphasia engage in social activities both online and in person). Student Bonita Sham Po Yan heard first-hand of the lengths that speech therapists went to to serve their clients during the pandemic and learned from the experience. “I had the opportunity to establish a rapport with stakeholders and learned to express ideas clearly, ask relevant questions and actively contribute to discussions. Overall, it was an invaluable learning experience.”