Last week, a prominent delegation from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) wrapped up a fruitful visit to Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Led by HKUST President Prof. Nancy Ip, the delegation aimed to forge valuable partnerships with prominent institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focusing on education, research, and innovation.
This visit coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative, during which both the Hong Kong government and HKUST committed to enhancing collaboration with key B&R members like the UAE, particularly in innovation, technology, investment, and infrastructure. Notably, this marked the first official visit from Hong Kong's higher education sector since Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee's delegation to the region the previous year.
Over the course of four days, from April 15 to 18, the HKUST delegation engaged with several distinguished institutions and organizations in the UAE, including the Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), the University of Sharjah, Khalifa University of Science and Technology (KU), the United Arab Emirates University, and Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence. Discussions centered on fostering research collaboration, technology transfer, and talent development in cutting-edge areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, medical technology, clean energy, and start-up incubation.
During the visit, the delegation had the honor of meeting Mr. Zhang Yiming, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the UAE, further solidifying diplomatic ties. Additionally, an alumni gathering was organized to strengthen connections with HKUST alumni in the region.
Notable members of the HKUST delegation included Prof. Wang Yang, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, Ms. Daisy Chan, Associate Vice-President (Global Engagement and Communications), Prof. Wang Yu-Hsing, Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies) of the School of Engineering, and Prof. Zhou Xiaofang, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
