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Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced on Wednesday that the government will press ahead with three university towns spanning more than 1,000 hectares in the Northern Metropolis to build a talent hub for the Greater Bay Area.
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Planned around "One Town, Five Elements" — education, technology, industry, talent and urban development — the three university towns in San Tin, Hung Shui Kiu and Ta Kwu Ling will each have a campus area, technology area, industry area and living community area.
Together they will cover more than 1,000 hectares, including about 300 hectares of campus area, Lee said.
Heart of medicine and tech in San Tin
With a focus on medicine, life and health technology, AI, robotics and microelectronics, the San Tin University Town’s campus will cover the land near the future Northern Link's San Tin Station and Ngau Tam Mei Station.
Its technology and industry areas will cover the Loop Hong Kong Park and San Tin Technopole. The park, opened in 2025, houses the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute (GBAICTI) — a government-owned institute run by the University of Hong Kong.
In collaboration with the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trials Center, the institute aims to promote medical innovation and clinical trials. It also houses a biobank jointly managed by the Hospital Authority and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Notably, Building 1 of the Loop Hong Kong Park will serve as the university town's flagship launch project when it is completed by the end of the year.
Named "Loop Academy One,” it will bring together research capabilities from local and non-local universities and institutions, including InnoHK, to promote interaction across universities, R&D and industries.
Additionally, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust will allocate HK$3 billion to support another integrated teaching and research building, focused on educational and scientific exchange and talent cultivation.
It is understood that the two buildings will complement one another, marking the start of a new chapter in the development of the NMUT.
Applied education in Hung Shui Kiu
The Hung Shui Kiu University Town campus and its adjoining technology and industry areas — including Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park, the Lau Fau Shan Digital Technology Hub, Yuen Long InnoPark and the MRDI — will be developed as a "Centre for Applied Post-secondary Education in Smart Manufacturing and Global Talent Cultivation."
Lee said the government will invite applications from post-secondary institutions this year to build campuses and kick-start development.
Art development in Ta Kwu Ling
As for the Ta Kwu Ling University Town, arts and "blue-green" development elements will be integrated to support emerging, traditional and new industries.
Lee added that strategic space is reserved for future needs, establishing a university town with a unique style, along with an arts and leisure ecosystem.
Research places to rise 30pc
To support the development of the university town, Lee noted that the government will gradually increase UGC-funded research postgraduate places by about 30 percent from 7,200 to 9,600 by the 2030/31 academic year.
The government will also invite the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited and the San Tin Technopole Company Limited to join the development and construction of the university towns.
