Bulletin Spring‧Summer 2001

their own performance indicators. Educational experts from the faculty w i l l wo rk out w i t h the schools a self-renewal strategy for continuous improvement using a self-evaluation framework and school-based indicators. They w i l l also attempt to promote professional competence and to boost the confidence and performance of administrators and teachers through well-designed training courses. This two-year project is expected to improve the effectiveness o f the schools, enhance students' learning ability, and make the schools more accountable to parents and the community. The project was officially opened on 14th October 2000. New Industrial Alliance to Create Multilingual Digital Video Content Hub The University embarked on a project entitled ‘A Multilingual Digital Video Content Hub ’ w i t h a grant of HK$7.8 m i l l i o n f r om the Innovation and Technology Fund. The project will adopt infomedia technology and artificial i n t e l l i g e n c e s k i l l s to d e v e l o p v i d e o technologies and prototypes that enable seamless access of video content through the Internet and mobile communication techniques for education, trading, recreation, cultural exchange, and commercial deployment. An online digital video library w i l l be built. The University has also formed the Video over Internet and Wireless Technologies Alliance wit h six industrial partners, whic h include ecomhere, FlexSystem, Kon g Sun Holdings, Lucent Technologies, MediaSite ， and Sun Microsystems. The alliance w i l l research and promote mainstream industrial standards for multilingual and multimedia Internet data exchange to facilitate direct and unambiguous b u s i n e ss a p p l i c a t i o n s ， a c c e l e r a t i ng advancement i n local wireless technology. Over a hundred guests from industry and academia attended the launch ceremony of the content hub and the alliance held on 9th November 2000. Officiating at the ceremony were Prof. Arthur K.C. Li, vice-chancellor of the U n i v e r s i t y , and M r . F r a n c i s Ho , Commissioner of Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government. E-Services Laboratory Opens An E-Services Laboratory, jointly establishe d by Hewlett-Packard Hong Kong Ltd. and the University at the Department o f Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, was officially opened on 17th January 2001. Officiating at the opening ceremony were the Honourable Henry Tang Ying-yen, Member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR ; Mr . Michael Lam, Managing Director of Hewlett- News in Brief 59