News
HKBU strengthens Shanghai-Hong Kong collaboration in innovation and translation
24 October 2025
Professor Terence Lau, Interim Chief Innovation Officer of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) led a delegation in September to the 2025 Pujiang Innovation Forum (18th Edition) in Shanghai. During the forum, he highlighted HKBU's pioneering efforts in fostering a transdisciplinary ecosystem for technology transfer and industry integration, spotlighting the University’s impactful achievements in technology innovation and knowledge transfer.
Co-hosted by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, this year’s forum embraced the theme “Sharing Innovation, Shaping the Future.” Professor Lau delivered a keynote address titled “Building a New Ecosystem for Technology Transfer and Industry Integration in Innovation and Technology” at the Achievements in Science and Technology Transformation Sharing Conference. He emphasised the university’s role as “an innovation hub,” presenting HKBU’s successful stories in cutting-edge fields, including Chinese medicine, art tech and green technology. “The key to bridging the path from the laboratory to market lies in building platforms and fostering proactive connections,” Professor Lau stated. “HKBU is committed not only to academic excellence but also to ensuring our research to create real-world impact. Through the establishment of the Institute for Innovation, Translation and Policy Research (ITPR), we systematically bridge the technology readiness gap between academia and industry”.
Professor Lau highlighted a number of impactful projects, including an innovative botanical drug granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the establishment of the world’s first “Turing AI Orchestra”, the operation of Hong Kong’s first Chinese Medicine Hospital to advance the modernisation of Chinese medicine, and collaborations with pharmaceutical companies to accelerate new drug development. These initiatives exemplify HKBU’s uniqueness of integrating arts, humanities, and the health industry with cutting-edge technology through strategic alliances, to drive innovation and technology translation.
At the concurrent Global Technology Transfer Fair: InnoMatch Expo, Professor Lau and Mr Tobby Fu, Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at ITPR of HKBU, participated in the opening ceremony. On behalf of HKBU, Mr Fu signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Eastern Tech Transfer Center, marking a significant milestone in the collaboration initiative between Shanghai and Hong Kong. This partnership leverages the technological innovation resources of both regions to deepen cooperation in technology transfer and project incubation, promoting synergybetween the Yangtze River Delta and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Mr Fu was also invited to the “Yangtze River Delta Green and Low-Carbon Technology Achievements Market (Shanghai Station),” where he presented HKBU’s strategic plans and developments in green technology. The projects garnered significant interest from the government and corporate representatives. Additionally, HKBU set up a booth at the venue to showcase its latest achievements in green technology, drawing numerous attendees for further exchanges.
This Shanghai visit underscored HKBU’s position as a leading liberal arts university in Asia, excelling in knowledge transfer and innovation translation, and its commitment to foster exchange and collaboration.