The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) submitted its formal proposal to the government today for the establishment of Hong Kong's third medical school, an important initiative highlighted in the 2024 Policy Address by the Chief Executive of the HKSAR.
Under the guidance of the government's 10 key parameters for establishing the new medical school for Hong Kong, the University's 150-page proposal details the innovative strategic positioning, curriculum design, staffing, clinical exposure and learning resources, student admissions, and sustainable funding models. The curriculum incorporates advice from different HKUST committees and task forces consisting of top medical experts such as former Hospital Authority chairman Dr. LEONG Che-Hung and four former and current deans of local and mainland medical schools: Prof. Rosie YOUNG Tse-Tse, Prof. FOK Tai-Fai, Prof. Raymond LIANG Hin-Suen and Prof Wong Tien-Yin. It is designed to complement the existing two local medical schools while meeting both international standards and local societal needs.
To fulfill the government's expectation that the new medical school should promote diversification, internationalization and leverage the clinical expertise of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) , HKUST has been dedicated to forging partnerships since first announcing its intention to establish the city's third medical school in early 2024. To date, the University has signed agreements with over 20 leading medical institutions and hospitals locally, nationally, and internationally, spanning Hong Kong, the GBA, Beijing, the Yangtze River Delta, Central China, the UK, and the US. These partnerships will bring about short-term clinical courses, practicum opportunities, faculty exchanges, and joint research initiatives, ensuring students to gain diverse clinical exposure while advancing cross-border medical innovation.
In support of the government's vision to nurture more medical professionals to address pressing healthcare challenges arising from an aging population, HKUST was the first institution to express interest in establishing the third medical school. Leveraging its unique strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) and cutting-edge technologies, HKUST aims to create a medical school where clinical excellence meets technological ingenuity in shaping the future of medicine. The University envisions nurturing a new generation of doctors who are clinically competent, tech-savvy and possess with scientific mindset, to drive medical innovations and transform healthcare delivery.
HKUST President Prof. Nancy IP expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the tremendous support received for the medical school project. "I am profoundly thankful to the local and overseas medical experts, scholars, institutional partners, different stakeholder groups and colleagues, who have contributed to our proposal. We are united by a shared vision in nurturing tech-savvy clinicians capable of transforming healthcare. Having worked tirelessly over the past two years and with wholehearted commitment to realizing HKUST Medical School, we are thrilled to reach this pivotal step in our journey to shape the future medical education for Hong Kong and beyond. Our ambition extends beyond addressing Hong Kong's healthcare challenges; we aspire to pioneer solutions with global impact. We are confident that our proposed School will elevate the city as an international beacon of medical innovation, while empowering future leaders to transform patient care around the world."
Since early last year, HKUST has invited a diverse lineup of experts to offer strategic advice critical to the successful establishment of the third medical school through various committees and task groups. Chaired by Dr. Leong, the Council Advisory Group advises on the school's overall strategic planning. The Group consists of international luminaries such as Prof. the Lord Ara DARZI from the Imperial College London who is also a former UK health minister; Prof. David HO from the Columbia University, who revolutionized HIV treatment with his invention of combination anti-retroviral therapy; Prof. Roger KORNBERG from Stanford University and a 2006 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry; as well as Prof. WONG Tien-Yin, Dean of Tsinghua Medicine and a preeminent ophthalmologist.
The Planning Committee, led by HKUST Honorary Court member Dr. Michael MAK Hoi-Hung and comprises HKUST Council members and professionals across medical services, higher education, law and finance, advises on strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and talent recruitment. Meanwhile, the committee's Medical Education Task Force, led by Prof. Fok and Prof. Liang with Prof. Young as Special Adviser and other public doctors and specialists as members, reviewed and assessed the design of the proposed curriculum.
The more than 20 institutions that have pledged collaboration with HKUST on clinical education, talent nurturing and research cover renowned hospitals and medical schools from Hong Kong, mainland and overseas. Hospital partners include The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in the GBA; Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing; as well as Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital and Hong Kong Adventist Hospital locally. For Medical schools, partners include Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Zhejiang University, as well as Imperial College London and University of California San Diego. (Full partnership list here)
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (https://hkust.edu.hk/) is a world-class university that excels in driving innovative education, research excellence, and impactful knowledge transfer. With a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy approach, HKUST was ranked 3rd in the Times Higher Education's Young University Rankings 2024, 19th Worldwide and No.1 in Hong Kong in Times Higher Education's impact Rankings. Thirteenth HKUST subjects were ranked among the world's top 50 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025, with "Data Science and Artificial Intelligence" holding the 17th place, maintaining its position as first in Hong Kong. Our graduates are highly competitive, consistently ranking among the world's top 30 most sought-after employees. In terms of research and entrepreneurship, over 80% of our work was rated "Internationally excellent" or "world leading" in the latest Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong's University Grants Committee. As of November 2024, HKUST members have founded over 1,800 active start-ups, including 10 Unicorns and 16 exits (IPO or M&A).
