Bulletin No. 2, 2021

10 Chinese University Bulletin No.2, 2021 Sowing the Seeds of Change Looking back at some of the most crucial documents that delineate the overall development of our country, the Central Government’s Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in 2019 affirmed the strategic positioning of the GBA as one of the most open and economically vibrant regions in China. The Central Government's 14th Five-Year Plan further focused on nurturing and strengthening emerging industries, inspiring many to look forward to and seek out the opportunities that beckon in the realization of the GBA vision. And, unquestionably, CUHK has secured its role as a forerunner on the road to the GBA. ‘We have been adopting an “early and pilot implementation” approach to expanding the scope of our participation in the GBA,’ Professor Tuan said in his opening remarks at the GBA Forum, a hybrid event attended by senior government leaders, industry representatives and academia on both sides of the border. ‘This is all because we have full confidence in the promising future of our country.’ For the past 16 years, CUHK has forged strong bonds with the GBA, creating cross- border collaborations that have grown both in depth and breadth over the years. In 2006, CUHK became Hong Kong’s first university to establish a comprehensive presence in the GBA, with the founding of the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2007, the Shenzhen Research Institute (SZRI), the largest satellite research facility set up by a Hong Kong institution in Shenzhen, was established. Shortly afterwards, with the approval from the Ministry of Education, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK(SZ)) was officially founded in 2014, carrying forward CUHK’s fine education traditions across the border. In 2018, the SZRI’s InnoHub was set up to support the education, knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship and innovation agenda of the GBA. Together with the establishment of the CUHK-Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory Advanced Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the CUHK Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Research Institute (Futian) and the Office for Greater Bay Area Developments, CUHK’s determination to fulfil the ambitious national blueprint by nurturing talent for the betterment of our country speaks for itself. The first mover in the field