Thanks to a generous donation, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has established two research institutes in support of the University’s research endeavours in the areas of smart cities and sustainable energy. The two research institutes are the Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and the Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE).
The Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology remarked that the Government had been collaborating with the two Research Institutes in conducting trials and pilots in several smart city projects, ranging from the application of urban informatics to smart and sustainable energy, to improve the quality of life for citizens.
The Innovation and Technology Bureau will continue to develop Hong Kong into a smart city and to make space for local talent to contribute towards the betterment of Hong Kong and the nation. The official also urged interested individuals to take advantage of the opportunities brought about by the National 14th Five-year Plan and development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
“There is much to gain from collaboration with our neighbour cities and we have much to learn from each other, especially on the new frontier of smart city development. PolyU, with its outstanding research institutes and academics, will have a big role to play in building Hong Kong into an international I&T hub,” he added.
The Founder of the Foundation noted that the notion of smart cities embraces a wide array of topics. The establishment of SCRI will catalyse the blending of the various elements of smart cities to contribute to the success of Hong Kong’s Smart City Blue Print 2.0. He also raised concerns regarding climate change and noted that renewable energy and energy storage were two essential research topics.
The President of PolyU said that interdisciplinary collaboration can provide solutions to address societal challenges. Against this backdrop, the University has established the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), a hub to promote research and innovation across disciplines. To date, ten research institutes and five research centres have been established to offer impactful solutions in areas including land and space creation, smart ageing, advanced manufacturing, smart cities, smart energy and more.
Established in 2020, SCRI and RISE will bring together PolyU experts from diversified fields to develop impactful interdisciplinary research. SCRI aims at being a global centre of excellence in urban informatics and a living smart cities laboratory for Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to promote smart cities development in Hong Kong and the country.
Its research focus areas include Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Government, and Smart Economy. SCRI is collaborating with some of the world’s top universities including the University of Cambridge and University College London, as well as major industrial players to develop innovative solutions. SCRI’s innovations have received worldwide recognition and won two Gold Medals at 2021 Inventions Geneva Evaluation Days and two prizes in the 2021 Smart 50 Awards.
RISE strives to pursue translational research on innovative solutions for energy-related problems. Its five research focus areas include District Energy Systems and Smart Grid, Smart Buildings and Smart Energy Systems, Advanced Energy Storage Technologies, Advanced and Renewable Energy Conversion Technologies, and Advanced Energy Materials.
RISE’s world-class research has been recognised in various global research rankings. According to a recent report by Stanford University, 16 RISE members have been listed among the top 2% of scientists in relevant research fields globally, with three members ranking in the top 25 places. In addition, three RISE scholars have been acknowledged in the Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list by Clarivate Analytics.
