HKUST ready with 3rd medical school proposal, plans to hire 100 teaching staff

The University of Science and Technology is polishing its proposal for establishing the third medical school ahead of the government’s deadline on March 17, president Nancy Ip Yuk-yu said.

Meanwhile,  HKUST also plans to recruit another 100 teaching staff from global institutions.

Speaking in a media gathering today, Ip said the university aims to assist in building Hong Kong into an international hub for post-secondary education, innovation and technology, as well as health and medical innovation.

“Hong Kong is facing an aging population as other developed countries and regions worldwide, and the city needs to promote the transformation of biomedical research as well as gather international talents to establish itself as a medical innovation center,” she said.

The university launched a Master of Science program in drug regulatory affairs and policy in September last year, admitting 40 students and eight Department of Health staff for training as the city’s first batch of talents familiar with international regulatory systems and policies.

Ip said the university will establish a future medicine artificial intelligence center with Fudan University in Shanghai and the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center next year.

An eight-story high-performance data processing center is under construction in its Clear Water Bay campus, which is expected to be finished by the end of next year.

The university submitted several projects last year in the second round of applications under the government’s HK$10 billion Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme, covering new materials, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, medicine and bioscience.

(Ayra Wang)