The Inauguration of Bright Future Engineering Talent Hub (the Hub) was held recently to mark its official launch at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU). The Hub, which was established in the College of Engineering, was launched to foster STEM education and nurture young talent in the engineering industry. It was named after the Bright Future Charitable Foundation (the Foundation) in acknowledgement of its HK$4 million donation in support of the establishment and initiatives of the Hub.
The Inauguration was officiated by the Co-founder and Non-Executive Director of a multinational manufacturing company; the Founder and Chairman of the Bright Future Charitable Foundation, and Honorary Advisor and Patron of the Hub; the President and University Distinguished Professor of CityU; the Vice President (Development and External Relations) of CityU; and the Acting Dean of the College of Engineering of CityU and Principal of the Bright Future Engineering Talent Hub.
In addition, the Hub’s establishment echoes CityU’s large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme, HK Tech 300, which seeks to identify a new generation of talent to enhance the local innovation and technology ecosystem.
In his welcoming address, the CityU President introduced two of the latest strategic initiatives of CityU including the HK Tech 300 programme and the One Health concept. He said that HK Tech 300 promotes innovation and cultivates our young generation. In addition to the allocation of HK$500 million, HK Tech 300 has been well received and has attracted additional funds from local industry. Taking advantage of the University and the synergy with HK Tech 300, the Hub also serves as a platform for youngsters to pursue technological innovation.
In the summer of 2022, an array of interesting STEM activities was introduced to drive STEM learning and received an overwhelmingly positive response. The four major STEM education activities – the Summer Research Internship, the STEM Carnival, the STEM Challenge, and the Student Project Exhibition – attracted over 700 students from about 60 secondary schools.
At the Inauguration, the winners of the STEM Challenge, a project-based competition in which secondary school students are invited to team up to study a specific topic in engineering via experiments, were announced. With the guidance of CityU academic staff and the facilitation of student mentors in each team, the young engineers challenged themselves to create innovative breakthroughs that will contribute to a better world.
The three winning teams, from St Rose of Lima’s College, Tuen Mun Government Secondary School, and Nord Anglia International School Hong Kong, were awarded in recognition for their innovative work and achievements and were given the opportunity to join a sharing session with the Co-founder and Non-Executive Director of the manufacturing firm.
He said he strongly supported HK Tech 300 and endorsed CityU’s endeavours to be an innovation hub for research and professional education. He encouraged the young participants to pursue innovation for the betterment of the world. It was noted that innovation is fundamental to technological advancement.
As Hong Kong is being promoted as a technological and research centre in the region, we need to nurture engineering talent for the industry. It is hoped that Hong Kong’s young engineers have a bright future and will contribute to Hong Kong, our country, and the well-being of mankind worldwide, he added.
