Application-driven research focuses on solving problems

POLYU PRIDES itself on the applicability and practical value of its research efforts, for which it is renowned.

PolyU vice-president (academic development) Suleyman Demokan said the university's credentials in application-driven research dated back to its pre-university days.

'We were already paying a lot of attention to applied research during our Polytechnic years, and this is now one of our major missions. The application-driven research we conduct is not much different and just as important as the basic or fundamental research done in other universities. We encourage research to be done with application in mind, not to satisfy the interest of staff members.'

Professor Demokan said the research related to problems faced by the industry and the community.

'It is useful research in the sense that it will be usable in the next 10 or 15 years. Like other universities, we do a lot of PhDs and invest a lot in research. Our research input is on a par with other universities in Hong Kong and overseas,' he said.

Using an excellence-based approach to resource allocation, the university has successfully encouraged the development of niche areas where applied research and innovation has a leading edge in Hong Kong and in an international context.

In the sphere of medical technology science, the university has developed a new drug for the treatment of liver cancer based on arginine depletion. Aside from giving liver patients a new ray of hope, this innovation is an important milestone in the development of Hong Kong's biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.