HKUST Engineering Established New Industry Engagement Committee

With a strong commitment to developing an engaging partnership with the industry, the School of Engineering (SENG) has recently established its first-ever Industry Engagement Committee (IEC), comprising a distinguished group of 17 professionals and industry leaders from diverse fields. To officially welcome the IEC founding members to this joint endeavor, the School hosted an inaugural ceremony on June 7 at its newly refurbished Engineering Commons. The inception of the IEC is set to herald a new chapter of strategic and impactful academia-industry collaboration in the School’s history.

In his welcome remarks at the ceremony, Dean of Engineering Prof. Hong K. LO said, “An engaging partnership with industry is important for setting the research agenda of our faculty, with their outcomes bringing value back to the community, thus starting a virtuous cycle. The purpose of the Industry Engagement Committee is to facilitate this interaction and create dialogue between industry, government and the School’s faculty and students. Through this partnership, we open up and showcase our faculty research and understand industry needs from the IEC members. Together we will collaborate to explore opportunities and create new value.” He expressed his gratitude to IEC members’ unwavering support and looked forward to their active participation in the forthcoming events. After the opening remarks, he made a presentation to highlight the School’s recent achievements and future prospects.

To enable IEC members to learn about the School’s research capabilities, two lab tours and a presentation with project display were arranged prior to the ceremony. Members visited the Chinese National Engineering Research Center for Control and Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution (Hong Kong Branch) and the Cheng Kar-Shun Robotics Institute, directed by Prof. CHEN Guanghao and Prof. ZHANG Fumin respectively. They also attended a presentation session, delivered by Prof. YEUNG King-Lun on the topic “Sustainable Green Technologies for a Healthy Living Environment”.

The newly established IEC comprises 17 external representatives from key organizations in relevant industries who are committed to strengthening the ties between industry and the School. They have extensive industry experience and expertise in their fields, and share a common goal to make Hong Kong a base for excellence in research and innovation.

In their two-year term of appointment, IEC members will take up a number of key roles including providing expert guidance and strategic direction to the School’s curriculum development and future research in alignment with industry needs; establishing strategic connections with crucial stakeholders from businesses, government and the community; and facilitating access to experts who can actively contribute to significant projects undertaken by the School.

Under this joint initiative, a series of events in the theme of Industry Connects University (I-Connect-U) have been planned to engage IEC members and the School’s faculty and students. These include a biannual forum focusing on topics of mutual interest, where IEC members will be invited as panel speakers and faculty members will showcase their relevant research. It is hoped that these events will create a win-win situation, enabling IEC members to keep abreast of the School’s latest research achievements, faculty members to understand real problems faced by the industry and thus prioritize their research focus, as well as students to get a head start in building connection with industry professionals.

The first I-Connect-U forum, titled “Digital Transformation: Challenges and Opportunities”, is set to take place on October 25, 2024.

Related link:

• Full list of the inaugural Industry Engagement Committee members (2024-26)