To promote the close collaboration of industry, universities and research institutes within the “Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area – Sichuan Province”, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and the City University of Hong Kong Chengdu Research Institute (CityUCRI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
The MOU aims to enhance the ability of the two areas to transform scientific and technological achievements, promote the collaborative innovation of science and technology, and jointly create a technological innovation highland and an important source of emerging industries.
Under the MOU, ASTRI and CityUCRI will cooperate in three major areas: communications technologies, artificial intelligence and big data analytics, and integrated circuits and systems.
The parties plan to build a scientific research collaboration platform, hold regular academic forums in professional fields, jointly promote the implementation and commercialisation of their scientific and technological achievements, and cultivate technological talents, to deepen the scientific exchanges and strengthen complementary advantages and resource sharing, contributing to the mutual benefits between Sichuan and Hong Kong.
The parties have also established a three-year cooperation plan which includes holding large-scale exchange activities to showcase the scientific research outcomes of ASTRI and CityU to Mainland enterprises and promoting the commercialisation of their scientific research outcomes. When appropriate, ASTRI and CityU will jointly apply for Sichuan Province scientific research projects; and the parties also plan to establish a joint laboratory or a knowledge transfer centre located at the CityUCRI.
CityU and ASTRI had established a solid scientific and technological cooperation relationship, according to the then Vice-President (Research and Technology) of CityU and Director of CityUCRI. He said the signing of the MOU symbolised a deeper and broader cooperation and development, which would provide innovative and high-quality technology services to Shuangliu District, Chengdu, and other cities in Sichuan province.
The Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI noted the agency, as the largest applied innovation and technology R&D centre funded by the government of Hong Kong, is committed to promoting innovation, with the mission of enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s technology-based industry and improving the lives of citizens.
He said that through this cooperation, ASTRI will help bring high-quality scientific research outcomes to enterprises in Chengdu.
The Director of New Economy and Technology Bureau, Shuangliu District of the Chengdu Municipal Government, Sichuan Province emphasised that this MOU had deepened the cooperation and strengthened the sharing of resources between Sichuan and Hong Kong.
It has a positive impact on promoting the aggregation of advantageous industrial chains in Shuangliu District and the development of industry-city integration. He pointed out that Shuangliu, as an important bearing site for the national-level Tianfu New District, Sichuan Free Trade Pilot Zone, and Chengdu Airport Economic Demonstration Zone, has become a hotspot for entrepreneurship, investment and development. He said the Shuangliu New Economy and Technology Bureau would continue to provide outstanding services and build an industrial ecosystem.
With the goal of win-win development, the Bureau will spare no effort in building a “bridge of cooperation between Sichuan and Hong Kong” and creating a better tomorrow and a better future for all parties.
Cooperation background
As one of the strategic development platforms of City University of Hong Kong on the Mainland, the City University of Hong Kong Chengdu Research Institute (CityUCRI) is also the first industry-university-research cooperation platform of CityU in western China.
It aims to build a “Hong Kong-Shenzhen-Chengdu” science and technology corridor and act as a “super-connector” to attract more superior cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to settle in Chengdu.
