【Special Sharing】 Five CityU projects received funding from the “Industry-University-Research 1+ Program” to promote the industrialization of high-quality scientific research results

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Covering the fields of biomedicine and materials science Creating a new solution for global carbon reduction HK Tech 300 continues to promote the transformation of scientific research Support EJ Tech

In order to promote the transformation and commercialization of scientific research results of local universities, the government launched the “Industry-University-Research 1+ Program” in October last year. In the first round of review results announced earlier, a total of five scientific research projects of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) were funded, covering fields such as biomedicine, materials science, big data, energy and environment. This reflects that CityU has effectively promoted high-quality research and innovation, promoted the transformation of the university’s world-class scientific research results into practical applications, and created commercial and social value.

The “Industry-University-Research 1+ Program” aims to unleash the potential of transformation and commercialization of scientific research results of local universities and promote “government-industry-university-research” cooperation. The Innovation and Technology Commission announced the review results and held a signing ceremony earlier. A total of 94 applications were received in the first round of the program, of which 24 university projects were funded with a total amount of more than HK$1 billion. The program is limited to applications from eight local universities funded by the University Grants Committee. The number of projects funded by CityU this time ranks second, the same as another local university.

The Innovation and Technology Commission held a signing ceremony for the “Industry-University-Research 1+ Program” earlier, and five research projects at CityU were funded. From left to right are Professor Cao Zhiyin, Professor Chen Furong, Professor Yang Mengsu, Professor Ren Guangyu, President Professor Mei Yanchang, Professor Ma Jian, Associate Vice-President (Research) Professor Zheng Shuhan, Vice-President (Community Relations and Collaboration) Professor Chen Zhihao, and Associate Vice-President (Innovation) Professor Xie Zhigang. (Photo provided by CityU)

Covering the fields of biomedicine and materials science

Professor Yin-Chang Boi, President of CityU, congratulated all the CityU teams that received the grants, saying that their important achievements are a testament to CityU’s pursuit of innovation and excellence, and its commitment to nurturing talent through groundbreaking teaching and research. CityU will continue to fully support and promote the development of innovation and technology, and is committed to contributing to Hong Kong society and the world through a series of influential projects.

Among the five research projects funded by the scheme, the one led by Professor Mengsu Yang, Yeung Kin-man Chair Professor (Biomedical Sciences) at CityU, is the “Microfluidics-based Circulating Tumor Cell Detection Platform and Its Application in Early Cancer Screening and Precision Monitoring”. The project aims to develop a fourth-generation circulating tumor cell (CTC, i.e. tumor cells shed by tumors and entering the blood) detection technology platform, as well as supporting gene and protein detection kits suitable for CTC downstream analysis to meet clinical needs such as cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The research team led by Professor Yang Mengsu (third from right) is committed to developing a fourth-generation circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection technology platform. (Photo provided by CityU)

Another project is the “Commercialization Project of Pulsed Hollow Cone Scanning and Transmission Integrated Electron Microscope” led by Professor Chen Furong, Chair Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at CityU. The goal is to achieve “zero interaction” between the microscope electron source and the research sample, use a pulsed electron source to reduce radiation damage to the research sample, and use hollow cone illumination technology to produce an image contrast that is four times that of traditional bright field images, in order to develop a compact scanning and transmission integrated electron microscope and establish a large-scale production line.

Professor Chen Furong (left) is a leader in the field of electron microscopy research. He and his team member Professor Xue Youjun (right) shared their latest achievements and breakthroughs in “high time-resolution electron microscopy” research in April last year. (Photo provided by CityU)

Creating a new solution for global carbon reduction

In terms of energy and environment, the project “Mass Production of Next-Generation Printable High-Efficiency Photovoltaics” led by Professor Ren Guangyu, Lee Shau Kee Chair Professor (Materials Science) of CityU, aims to develop a new generation of printable, stable, efficient and low-cost perovskite solar cells, which can be widely used in scenarios such as building-integrated photovoltaics, agricultural photovoltaics, and power supply for Internet of Things components. It also plans to build a pilot production line with an annual output of 20 megawatts in Hong Kong to open up new paths for sustainable energy development.

The project led by Professor Ren Guangyu aims to develop a new generation of printable, stable, efficient and low-cost perovskite solar cells. (Photo courtesy of CityU)

As for the “Climate Revolution: A Comprehensive Solution for Next-Generation Radiant Cooling to Achieve Green Communities” led by Professor Cao Zhiyin of the School of Energy and Environment at CityU, it focuses on the research and development of passive radiant cooling technology. Since 2021, the team has established the startup “i2Cool” under the CityU HK Tech 300 program and developed passive radiant cooling coatings for roofs and walls. This project extends passive radiant cooling technology to the research and development of three products: ceramics, pavement materials, and thermal management textiles, to help cool down building structures, roads, and even individuals, reduce the use of air conditioning, and contribute to global carbon reduction.

The team led by Professor Cao Zhiyin (centre) further developed a new passive radiant cooling tile, and the results were published in the famous academic journal Science at the end of last year. (Photo provided by CityU)

HK Tech 300 continues to promote the transformation of scientific research

In addition, Professor Jian Ma of the Department of Information Systems at CityU Business School has led his team to develop a collaborative innovation network platform “Friends of Research” since 2007, connecting government-funded institutions, universities, research institutes and technology companies to exchange public information such as papers and patents. The start-up “Innovation City” established by the team has also received support from the HK Tech 300 Angel Fund. Based on the existing results, Professor Ma was approved to develop “Federated Learning Technology that Integrates Research Knowledge Graphs and Large Language Models” to achieve knowledge co-creation using generative artificial intelligence technology.

Professor Yang Mengsu, who is also CityU’s Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise), said that CityU has been committed to promoting the transformation of scientific research results into practical applications. He said: “Through HK Tech 300, CityU has nurtured more than 700 start-ups and teams, and more than 90 public and private institutions have become strategic partners, co-investment partners and supporting institutions. We hope that with the support of the ‘Industry-University-Research 1+ Program’, we can further accelerate the commercialization of the university’s scientific research results and bring benefits to society.”