HKU can become like Harvard and Cambridge, says Zhang

Staff reporters

The University of Hong Kong will become a "worldwide top university" like America's Harvard University and Britain's University of Cambridge, said HKU president and vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang.

Speaking in an interview with Sing Tao Daily, The Standard's sister publication, Zhang - who faces allegations of mismanagement - said the university will continue to develop research that would bring long-lasting contributions to the world.

"I hope to build scientific research facilities in HKU, establish an innovative atmosphere on the campus and nurture young scientists ... to turn HKU into an innovative center in [the Greater Bay Area]," he said.

Zhang took over the helm at HKU in 2018.

On mismanagement allegations against him, Zhang felt regret and heartbroken, saying the saga had damaged the university's reputation.

"But it is inevitable sometimes that somebody may hold different views on the university's achievements and reforms," Zhang said, hoping the special investigation committee will arrive at a fair result.

On his future five-year term as HKU head, Zhang said he aimed to make HKU a "worldwide top university" in the same league as the University of Cambridge and Harvard University.

He also said HKU will develop in areas where it has an advantage.

In medicine for example, Zhang said Department of Microbiology chair Yuen Kwok-yung had invented the new intranasal Covid-19 vaccine.

"HKU has become a leader in the area of infectious disease study around the world," Zhang claimed.

He said HKU will continue to promote the development of subjects including the social sciences, medicine and education by attracting more talent, while the new research institution for AI and big data will further connect all subjects, as well as improve students' learning ability by AI.

As the city's top university, HKU is also the second-best Asian university according to the latest QS Asia University Rankings released last Thursday.

Following Peking University in the mainland, HKU climbed two spots to second and surpassed the National University of Singapore.

Zhang described the rankings as a "by-product" of the university's academic achievements.

"It's just like Chinese martial arts. You would gradually perform well if you have a solid foundation," he said.

HKU has been enhancing its academic achievements over the last five years, including a long-lasting impact fund to encourage scholars to do research projects that are "less popular."

The university will have its new Tech Landmark innovative center in the Pok Fu Lam campus by mid-next year.

The center will have 10 research institutes, Zhang said, and as HKU owns over 1,000 patents, he hoped to use the center to promote Hong Kong's re-industrialization.

It is estimated that construction of 10 buildings, which are different from the Tech Landmark, will be finished within two to three years to help solve the problem of inadequate space for teaching and laboratories, Zhang said.

Several construction works are ongoing, including the reconstruction of the Pokfield campus.

Zhang said HKU is discussing each step with Shenzhen authorities on its Shenzhen campus.

The university signed a memorandum of cooperation on setting up a campus in Nanshan with the Shenzhen authorities in 2021, but the process had stalled due to the pandemic.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said in last month's policy address that he aims to make Hong Kong an international hub for post-secondary education by raising the non-local undergraduate quotas to 40 percent of the total local university student population.

Zhang said the move can help facilitate cultural exchanges, while the key to internationalization is to adapt to global changes and trends.

He said it has not been easy for him during the past five years due to the pandemic and protests in 2019.