The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau to strengthen and expand collaboration in sustainability, education, research and innovation, building on a solid foundation the two parties have co-established five years ago.
Since HKUST and France created the France-HKUST Innovation Hub in 2017, the two sides have co-organized various activities and joint research projects. That include a collaboration with the Sorbonne University on the impact of anthropogenic activities in the Pearl River Estuary, and another with the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) on bioimaging and theranostics using the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) technology. The Hub also organized an innovation contest on Corporate Social Responsibility with Orange, a French multinational telecommunications corporation, and hosted different conferences and events including the Fifth Anniversary of Paris Agreement Conference and HKUST x FRANCE Sustainability Day.
Recently, HKUST and the Consulate General of France co-organized the One Ocean Conference, where renowned academics and representatives from the business and civil community shared their views, experiences and good practices on tangible actions and solutions for the two key challenges of ocean sustainability: the preservation of marine life and blue finance.
On the back of the fruitful results yielded over the years, HKUST and the French Consulate signed a new agreement last week to further promote academic and research cooperation between HKUST, French universities, companies and organizations through student and scholar exchanges, student internship opportunities, joint research projects and organization of events and conferences.
Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Mr. Alexandre GIORGINI said, "Following the Paris Agreement on climate change which was signed by all countries in 2015, France has taken the lead to engage a global conversation on sustainability. In parallel, as a global academic hub with a real vision for the future, HKUST is transforming its campus into a zero carbon and zero waste community. I'm very proud to see that HKUST and France are enjoying an exceptional relationship in addressing many common challenges of sustainability."
HKUST President Prof. Wei SHYY said the University's collaboration with the French Consulate is a defining and exemplary joint effort on many fronts, "We are proud of this longstanding platform, and I trust that with this renewed partnership, we will strengthen our shared mission on sustainability - a key priority for both HKUST and its new Guangzhou campus. There are many opportunities between French institutions and HKUST to collaborate so that we can advance our common vision via synergy and joint efforts. In today's world, we need to have more of such collective efforts."
As part of the roadmap under the principles of environmental responsibility and internalization, both parties will strengthen and expand collaboration under the umbrella of "HKUST x France Sustainability Innovation Hub" to promote joint actions in the field of sustainability. Currently, HKUST has 17 active student exchange agreements with French institutions including ESSEC Business School, HEC Paris and Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).
