(30 August 2022)

With a common interest in promoting collaboration in the area of education, technological research and innovation, as well as knowledge transfer, the Chinese Studies Foundation, Sunwah Group and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) entered a partnership to promote interaction and collaboration for Hong Kong with the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and Vietnam.

Dr Jonathan Choi (second from right), Chairman of Chinese Studies Foundation and Sunwah Group, Prof. Yang Wang (second from left), HKUST Vice-President for Institutional Advancement at the Signing Ceremony

The Chinese Studies Foundation endeavors to promote international cultural exchanges. Sunwah Group is a Hong Kong-based conglomerate which has more than 50 years of doing business in Vietnam. It has extensive government, business and academic networks in the region, which could provide expertise and support to HKUST and together, Sunwah and HKUST aim to expand and deepen cooperation between Hong Kong, GBA and Vietnam in areas including academic and cultural exchanges, talent development and research collaborations.

Dr Jonathan Choi, Chairman of The Chinese Studies Foundation and Chairman of Sunwah Group, said: “This is a timely partnership as the GBA is a fast-developing region and Vietnam is a fast-developing country. The collaboration will spark innovative ideas and generate new knowledge for the benefit of Hong Kong, the GBA and Vietnam.”

HKUST Vice-President for Institutional Advancement Prof. Yang Wang also expressed his delight, “With a shared interest in promoting educational and technological advancement, we uplifted our partnership with The Chinese Studies Foundation and SUNWAH Group to the next level.  HKUST will leverage this opportunity, our outstanding scholars and research strength to drive innovation in Hong Kong, GBA and Vietnam.”

Under the collaboration, The Chinese Studies Foundation made a donation of HKD 1 million to HKUST to establish the GBA & Vietnam Knowledge Exchange Fund. From the 2022/23 to 2024/2025 academic years, the Fund shall be managed by The GREAT Smart Cities Institute (GSCI) at HKUST. GSCI is a University-wide institute, integrating the University’s experts from research and academic fields like Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electronic, Computer Science and Computer Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Public Policy.

The Fund will support a Visiting Scholars Program to encourage outstanding HKUST Scholars to visit higher institutes in Vietnam and to attract Vietnamese Scholars to spend time at HKUST to explore collaborations. The Fund will also allow HKUST to collaborate with higher institutes in Vietnam and organize Knowledge Exchange Events in Hong Kong or Vietnam.

Source: HKUST