The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Wuxi Municipal Government of Jiangsu Province announced that they will be collaborating to establish the “Hong Kong Polytechnic University Wuxi Institute of Science and Technology Innovation” in Wuxi.
The institute seeks to develop a high-end innovative scientific research platform, offer a doctoral degree program in engineering, and establish an industrial cultivation base, give full play to the synergistic effect of “official, production, learning and research”, and focus on the future development of the country.
The cooperation is aligned with the country’s strategy of actively strengthening the “Su-Hong Kong-Macao” cooperation, combining the economic advantages of Wuxi with the educational and scientific research strength of PolyU, which is ranked among the top 100 universities in the world.
The agreement will come into effect in January 2023 or a period of five years and will be jointly implemented by PolyU’s School of Engineering and Wuxi National High-tech Industrial Development Zone. Supported, in part, by the Wuxi Municipal Government, the “Hong Kong Polytechnic University Wuxi Institute of Science and Technology Innovation” will be established in the Wuxi Airport Economic Development Zone. The institute will build a teaching and research centre, an innovation research and development platform, and an innovation and entrepreneurship base in stages.
The Institute’s three major missions are as follows:
- To establish a world-class high-end scientific research and innovation platform
The research institute will promote joint scientific research, academic exchanges, joint cultivation, and knowledge transfer; by bringing together domestic and foreign innovation resources, it will forge a national first-class high-end innovation and technology platform with international standards.
The institute will develop new core technologies with independent intellectual property rights in Wuxi, in areas like aviation and aerospace, biomedical technology, advanced manufacturing, new materials, artificial intelligence, communication networks and new energy.
- To cultivate scientific and technological innovation talent
The Institute will offer engineering doctoral degree courses and engineering post-doctoral programs for working people, so as to establish an innovation and technology team rooted in Wuxi. The course takes enterprise technology research projects as the theme of research papers, supplemented by training in science and technology enterprise management disciplines, focusing on technological innovation and application leadership, aiming to nurture industry leaders who are far-sighted, innovative vision, international vision, and advanced scientific research experience.
- To promote emerging industries
The Institute will be committed to promoting the scientific research cooperation between PolyU and local enterprises and manufacturers in Wuxi, especially encouraging the new generation of talents cultivated by PolyU to start businesses in Wuxi, commercialize scientific research results and practice innovative ideas.
This move is just in line with the economic development needs of the country and Jiangsu Province and drives the steady development of emerging industries; at the same time, it promotes breakthroughs in modern engineering technology, strengthens technology development and integration, and realizes its large-scale application, thereby accelerating technology transfer and commercialisation of scientific research results, creating a complete industry chain. The goal of the institute is to cultivate a group of enterprises that are unique in emerging industries within three to five years and drive the sustainable development of innovative technology.
Through this cooperation, PolyU and Wuxi authorities will contribute their own strengths in different fields and complement each other’s advantages. Over the next five years, the Wuxi Municipal Government will provide the required venues, corresponding infrastructure, and funds to support PolyU in establishing a research institute.
The two sides will also arrange for industry professionals from Wuxi and the Yangtze River Delta region to come to Hong Kong for exchanges every year. Through diversified joint promotion and international professional academic activities, more enterprises will be attracted to the research institute and settled in Wuxi to conduct entrepreneurial verification.
