The SAR's youngest research tertiary institution - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - has set itself goals which go beyond the conventional academic sphere.
The university's president, Professor Chia-Wei Woo, said on the eve of its fifth graduation ceremony that it would focus its efforts on the community.
'We were given five years to develop from zero to full size. Now, we have entered a stage of consolidation,' he said.
'This university has an additional function which is part of its mission and that is to assist Hong Kong and the region in economic development. We have to play a strong role in the transformation of the economy from labour intensive to technology based,' he said.
Professor Woo said the university had been working closely with government agencies and the private sector on various projects and, in the process, succeeded in obtaining a number of patents - with more in the pipeline. 'We have signed about 80 contracts, all of which involve technology transfer,' he said.
But probably the biggest project undertaken by the university involves the development of information technology in the Pearl River Delta region, which will be announced today.
The project, carried out with the Fok Ying Tung Foundation in Hong Kong, aims to develop a state- of-the-art information technology community in Panyu's Nansha district.
