Vice-Chancellor and President’s Foreword

The Chinese University of Hong Kong was delighted to host the ‘Forum on Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Developments and Output Showcase of The Chinese University of Hong Kong’ (the GBA Forum) which took place in hybrid mode on our Shatin Campus and at our Shenzhen Research Institute on 28 October 2021.

The GBA Forum was an important opportunity for researchers, policy makers and industry leaders to think about the development of the GBA as a catalyst to turbocharge the growth of the innovation and research ecosystem across the GBA and beyond.

For CUHK, it was an occasion to celebrate our 15-year track record of research, education and engagement in the GBA and look to the future as we executed seven new landmark agreements to further expand our footprint in the GBA.

CUHK is Hong Kong’s first university to establish a comprehensive presence in GBA that drives and facilitates collaboration among industry, academia and research. Since 2006, CUHK has established a range of education and research platforms in GBA, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, the CUHK Shenzhen Research Institute, the CUHK (Shenzhen), the CUHK InnoHub, and the CUHK Hong Kong—Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Research Institute (Futian). These initiatives have enabled CUHK to achieve substantial outcomes in basic research, talent cultivation, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship. Since the release of the Central Government’s Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in 2019, CUHK has continued to actively widen its blueprint in the GBA, including planning for a new research centre in Dongguan and a new collaboration initiative in Guangzhou.

CUHK’s new Strategic Plan 2021-2025 places global engagement and expanded links with the mainland as a strategic priority, with the GBA at its core. We will be actively aligning our efforts with the nation’s GBA development strategy, while deepening our collaboration in areas of innovation and technology across the Guangdong Province, establishing platforms to transfer our research outputs across borders, and strongly promoting the development of research and education across the GBA.

The development of the GBA builds on Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau, with each focusing on their respective strengths to embrace new global challenges. I believe the GBA Forum was an important platform for collaboration in these important areas. I invite you to engage with our content, review the day’s proceedings, and see the impact of our work in the GBA for yourself.