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. In space technology, the university developed the Space Holinser Forceps and the Mars Rock Corer used respectively by the Russian Space Agency's MIR Space Station in 1995 and the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission in 2003. It has also used its strength in nanotechnology to develop work clothes for China's space mission ground staff, and is actively researching the development of uniforms for astronauts. The university is renowned for inventing an advanced Fibre Bragg Gratings railway monitoring and measurement system using high-sensitivity, small, lightweight and EMI-immune optical sensors. These are just examples of the university's achievements outside its traditional areas of strength such as textiles and clothing, and mechanical and industrial engineering. The university's Institute of Enterprise has played an active bridging role in using its research achievements and services to help private enterprises develop new products and resolve problems. Professor Demokan said that apart from fulfilling the university's objectives of serving local industry and enhancing its competitiveness, this approach also fostered a cordial partnership with private enterprises and helped generate revenue to supplement research funding. 'Private enterprises see a lot of sense in our research approach. It creates a win-win situation.'