KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

Open Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships

Professor Raj Thampuran, Managing Director, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, gave a public lecture entitled "Open Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships" at HKU on January 25, 2016. Professor Thampuran elaborates on the importance of R&D and innovation for Singapore's economic transformation and growth, and A*STAR's role in Singapore's innovation system, as the primary mission-oriented government agency tasked with advancing innovation-based growth.

Knowledge Exchange (KE) Excellence Award 2015

HKU has recently launched the university-level KE Excellence Award, and it goes to the team at the Faculty of Dentistry.

KE in The Review 2015

The Review 2015 looks back at another fruitful year for knowledge exchange developments and our researchers' strong efforts in translating knowledge and discovery into impact. "Our ultimate goal is to achieve the greatest societal benefits from our teaching and research, and in this respect HKU has been a leader in Hong Kong. We have been building capacity and developing strategies that take our know-how from the campus to the community through technology transfer, entrepreneurship and knowledge exchange," says Professor Peter Mathieson, President and Vice-Chancellor.

HKU biomedical engineers develop new cartilage regeneration technology to grow cartilage from one's own cells for cartilage repairs

An HKU research team, led by Dr Barbara Chan, Associate Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has developed a new cartilage regeneration technology to grow cartilage tissues out of cells taken from one's body. The cells, in particular stem cells extracted from one's bone marrow, can be grown into cartilage tissues of the shape and size fit for cartilage repairs and replacements. Since the replacement parts are fully biocompatible, patients could be benefited from rapid healing without the need to harvest donor cartilage from the patients. The research team is in the process of translating the technology for use on human. The commercialization of this technology was assisted by the HKU Technology Transfer Office.

HKU Faculty of Engineering organizes the "Invention for Schools Contest"

The "Invention for Schools Contest" is organized by the Faculty of Engineering with the support of HKU Knowledge Exchange Fund. Over a hundred students from primary 2 to secondary 5 joined the competition. They are required to use credit card-sized computers to make inventions that would be useful to their schools.

HKU scientists discover a drought tolerance gene that may help plants survive global warming

In recent years, scientists have been researching how to improve drought resistance in plants, so as to enhance growth and productivity of crops in dry weather conditions. Groundbreaking technology from HKU may provide a solution to this problem on drought stress. Funded by the Wilson and Amelia Wong Endowment Fund, Professor Chye Mee Len at the HKU School of Biological Sciences and her lab members have identified a gene from the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana which encodes an acyl-CoA-binding protein (ACBP). The gene, designated as ACBP2, can confer drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. Overexpression of ACBP2 in these transgenic lines promoted stomatal closure, reduced water loss and enhanced drought tolerance. With the assistance of the University's Technology Transfer Office, the technology has been licensed to an internationally recognized agricultural company specializing in the development of biofuel and biolubricant production crop, Camelina sativa, for potential applications in oil production and commercialization.

HKU start-up wins Red Herring's 2015 Top 100 Asia Award

Living Tissues Company Limited, one of the HKU startup companies, has been awarded the 2015 Red Herring Asia Top 100 Award. This Red Herring Top 100 Award honors companies that deliver potentially strong technology and innovation in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Many world-renowned corporations like Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were once winners of this prestigious award.