The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made remarkable progress at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, showcasing outstanding achievements and surpassing previous records with 36 teams wining a total of 36 awards. These include the Prize of the Chinese Delegation for Invention and Innovation, four Gold Medals with Congratulations of the Jury, and multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals.
The groundbreaking research led by HKUST President Prof. Nancy IP on an innovative strategy targeting soluble ST2 (sST2), a blood protein, for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapeutics, won the Prize of the Chinese Delegation for Invention and Innovation, as well as the Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury. The research findings open up new possibilities for the development of AD therapeutics. Therapeutics targeting sST2 can reduce the risk of AD development and ameliorate AD disease pathologies. Importantly, these therapeutic approaches offer a simpler, less invasive, and safer option compared to traditional AD treatment approaches.
Other Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury winners from HKUST include cementless eco-bricks derived from municipal solid wastes led by Prof. Charles NG Wang-Wai, Dean of Fok Ying Tung Graduate School and Chair Professor from Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; advanced photovoltaic smart window for thermal insulation, led by Prof. XIANG Changying, Assistant Professor from Division of Integrative Systems and Design; and rebar tying robot led by Mr. LI Haozhen from a research team of Hong Kong Center for Construction Robotics (HKCRC), one of the innoHK research centers led by HKUST.
The record high of 36 projects span various fields, including biomedical and health, information technology and artificial intelligence, smart construction, as well as sustainable and new energy. In addition to the rebar tying robot, another five of the 36 inventions were developed under the world-class InnoHK research centers led by HKUST, including HKCRC, Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and AI Chip Center for Emerging Smart Systems (ACCESS), in collaboration with top research institutions around the world. These inventions feature new technologies such as genome editing, cell therapy, smart tower crane, automated toolchain, and AI accelerator.
Many of the inventions have been developed through collaborative efforts with government and industry leaders, aiming to create a profound impact on society. For instance, a collaboration with the Education Bureau focuses on developing a virtual program for the Hong Kong massive open online course platform. Another two projects, in partnership with the MTR Corporation and the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, involves ridership modeling through multimodal traffic simulation and a digital twin platform that integrates AI, robotics, and IoT for property and facility management industries, respectively. Additionally, 24 of the innovations have taken a remarkable step towards knowledge transfer by establishing start-ups supported by HKUST, thereby transforming their research achievements into meaningful solutions for community.
"I am so proud to witness a record-breaking number of HKUST winning teams at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva this year," HKUST Vice-President for Research and Development Prof. Tim CHENG said. "This is not only a testament to our research and innovation capabilities but also reinforces our solid track record in entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer. Building upon our strong network with governments, industry and academia, we are now planning an innovation park to bridge the gap between basic research and impactful outcomes, while strengthening our city's entrepreneurial ecosystem, so more innovative breakthroughs can be transformed into practical solutions and technologies that improve human life."
HKUST continuously leads the pack in global rankings on knowledge transfer, including ranking No. 1 in China under the patent influence metric of the Nature Index (2022), and No. 1 in HK under the overall number of patents granted based on University Grants Committee's definition under the Common Data Collection Format (CDCF) in 2022/23.
The 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva is being held from April 17 to 21 in Switzerland with a record number of inventors, universities, institutes, and companies showcasing over 1,000 inventions from about 40 countries and regions. A total of 365 inventions from Hong Kong are participating in the show.
For more details on HKUST's inventions at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva, please refer to the full 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 research intensive university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Over 80% of our research work were rated "Internationally excellent" or "world leading" in the Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong's University Grants Committee. We were ranked 2nd in Times Higher Education's Young University Rankings 2023, and our graduates were ranked 29th worldwide and among the best from universities from Asia in Global Employability University Ranking 2023. As of September 2023, HKUST members have founded 1,747 active start-ups, including 9 Unicorns and 13 exits (IPO or M&A), generating economic impact worth over HK$ 400 billion. InvestHK cited QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 to demonstrate the performance of five world's top 100 local universities in several innovation-centric areas, among which HKUST ranked top in four engineering and materials science subjects.
