The Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAIR) and the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) recently announced the establishment of the CAIR-HKPC Joint Laboratory (Joint Lab).
The Joint Lab will leverage the strengths of the two organisations to develop innovative solutions for industries and institutions, and help enterprises tackle the challenges they face when adopting artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies.
The Lab will help foster smart manufacturing, enable industrial upgrading and transformation in Hong Kong, and will strengthen the momentum of a booming innovation and technology (I&T) sector to become a new growth engine for the city.
Built upon CAIR’s standing as an R&D leader and HKPC’s expertise in the implementation of intelligent manufacturing and strong network with Hong Kong industry stakeholders, the Joint Lab is strategically positioned to act in concert with national-level policies in AI and Robotics related industries and fully tap the market potential of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The Joint Lab seeks to deepen the collaboration among industry, academia and research institutes, accelerate technology transfer of research achievements in AI and Robotics, and promote the development of related industries through joint R&D projects and exchange programmes.
Taking into consideration the actual needs of enterprises, the Joint Lab will provide R&D and innovative applied technology solutions in fields including intelligent systems, intelligent equipment, intelligent robots, digital modelling and analysis technologies, as well as customised automatic equipment and advanced manufacturing solutions and intelligent product development services.
This is the first joint lab that CAIR has launched with a Hong Kong statutory organisation, with a distinct focus on technology transfer and applications of scientific and technological breakthroughs.
The Joint Lab will be set up at the CAIR and HKPC Building, advancing cooperation in these key areas:
- The application of large cross-modal pre-training AI models for industrial scenarios and other organisations
- Human-computer interaction technology, including the application of tactile sensor technology, and image processing, for industrial scenarios and other organisations.
The Director of CAIR and President of the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that the CAIR-HKPC Joint Lab fully embodies the strengths of both organisations, with CAIR’s leading research capabilities and HKPC’s cutting-edge expertise and solid experience in providing innovative solutions and applied technology services for Hong Kong enterprises.
He added that as Hong Kong’s I&T sector continues to gain vigour and momentum, CAIR will enhance its research capabilities in pioneering fields such as the basic theory of new-generation AI, new human-computer interaction technology, and advanced health-oriented robotics technology, and cross-modal open-source AI platform technology. The organisation will also provide support to innovative collaboration among industry, academia and research institutes.
The Executive Director of HKPC stated that HKPC will sharpen its core strengths to support more Hong Kong enterprises to enhance competitiveness through innovative solutions, advanced technology, talent development and government funding, to promote smart manufacturing and industrial transformation and upgrade in Hong Kong.
The Joint Lab will deepen collaboration in applied R&D, technological exchange and talent development, fortify I&T cooperation between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland, promote industrial upgrading in the Greater Bay Area, expand the talent pool in the region, and leverage Hong Kong’s unique advantages ensure that the opportunities presented by the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan and the Greater Bay Area are fully grasped in order to better integrate itself into the nation’s overall development.
