Bulletin No. 2, 2024

In the past 60 years, CUHK has grown from a campus on the barren hills of Shatin to an internationally renowned university. Along the way, it has gained acclaim as a world-class institution, providing a base for generations of academics all hoping to benefit humankind with the results of their research. As it embarks on its seventh decade, the University finds itself ready to deal with the latest technological trends, and eager to continue generating positive societal impact. For the second issue of our Bulletin in 2024, we shine the spotlight on seven academics at the vanguard of our research efforts. The following pages contain overviews of the seven outstanding projects that received funding from the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme, as well as interviews with the projects’ principal investigators. Launched as one of the initiatives in the Hong Kong government’s 2023-24 Budget, the scheme provides funding of up to HK$100 million to each approved project on a matching basis, in the hope that this will encourage local universities to transform and commercialise their research and development outcomes. These seven projects — the highest number among local tertiary institutions — cover a wide range of topics: from silicon photonic communications to regenerative tissue engineering, from personalised medical AI systems to precision farming systems. In addition to these researchers, we also look back at the Elsevier report. Published in May this year, it represented the first assessment of the research landscape in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) conducted by a major scientific publisher. The report has confirmed the University’s continuing impact in the fields of medicine and technology, and its cornerstone role in the region’s research output. As the region develops into a global innovation and technology hub under the central government’s blueprint, this report shines a light on the ever-evolving impact of CUHK’s research. Diamonds are forever, but technology marches on. The 60 th anniversary celebrations may have concluded in June this year, but as these pages will show, CUHK’s commitment to excellence in its scientific research remains as steadfast as ever. 3