2023/2024
Highlights of the year

2024

HKMU 35th anniversary launch

HKMU's Annual Staff Party this year was combined with the Launch Ceremony of HKMU's 35th anniversary celebrations. Around 900 staff and well-wishers attended the event.

Jan

First-ever HKMU Hackathon

HKMU's first Hackathon was a two-day event that posed two problem statements relating to “Ageing Population” and “Environmental and Cultural Sustainability” and challenged students to come up with an innovative solution to one of them. Over 100 students took part.

Jan

Appliable Linguistics and Language Education Symposium

This month saw the Appliable Linguistics and Language Education Symposium, supported by Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation Limited. The event brought together local participants and over 80 from overseas.

Jan

Symposium of Laboratory Medicine

Over 250 participants took part in the first Hong Kong Symposium of Laboratory Medicine, organised in collaboration with the Hong Kong Society for Medical Laboratory Science. With Secretary for Education of the HKSAR Government Dr Choi Yuk-lin as Guest of Honour, the event was also the occasion for the grand opening ceremony of the 7,000-square-foot HKMU Medical Science Laboratory.

Jan

"Minerva Book Club: a Hungarian's life in science"

This Joyful Reading event run by the Minerva Book Club focused on Breaking Through: My Life in Science, a book about Dr Katalin Karikó, the Hungarian Nobel laureate scientist. Over 90 students and staff participated in discussion on Dr Karikó's story and explored Hungary's contributions to scientific discovery.

Jan

Launch of HK$50 million HKMU Startup Fund

The HKMU Startup Fund was launched with great fanfare on 28 February, making a total of HK$50 million available to HKMU students, alumni and researchers looking to turn creative ideas into technological, practical and commercial products or solutions.

Feb

HKMU becomes Hong Kong's first UAS

HKMU announced at a ceremony that its application in response to the Government's call for universities of applied sciences (UASs) to be established in Hong Kong had been approved, making it the city's first UAS.

Mar

Inaugural HKMU Foundation Dinner

Following the establishment of the HKMU Foundation in September 2023, this month saw the inaugural HKMU Foundation Dinner held under the theme “Uniting Excellence, Inspiring Future”. Title-sponsored by Dr Peter Lee Kwok-wah, Chairman of the HKMU Foundation Advisory Committee, the event was a time of inspiration that also generated additional funds for the University.

Mar

Grand opening of Ina Ho Cantonese Opera Research Centre

Funded by its namesake Dr Ina Ho Chan Un-chan, the Ina Ho Cantonese Opera Research Centre had its Grand Opening this month. The centre has already embarked on initiatives that drive Cantonese opera research and performances.

Mar

Talk of the Metropolis: Ms Carly Leung and Ms Jasmine Siu

This month's Talk of the Metropolis address was given by Ms Carly Leung Pui-yee and Ms Jasmine Siu Yin-nam, youth delegates of Hong Kong at the 28th Conference of Parties (COP28). They spoke on “Creating a Sustainable Metropolis: Nurturing Youth Leadership in Climate Action”.

Mar

Minerva Book Club: Exploring South Africa

This month's Minerva Book Club event was titled “Exploring South Africa and Its Fintech Developments”, with Mr Mojalefa Mogono, South African Consul General, as the keynote speaker.

Mar

HKMU Festival

The University hosted the first-ever HKMU Festival, which took the form of an engaging series of arts and cultural programmes put together by students under the direction of the School of Arts and Social Sciences.

Mar

HKMU Career Fair

The three-day HKMU Career Fair held this month brought together over 130 companies and organisations from 25 industries, offering students over 5,000 job and internship opportunities locally, in the Greater Bay Area and overseas.

Mar

HKMU joins “City Companion” Community Alliance on Promoting Mental Health

HKMU partnered with five NGOs in launching the “City Companion” Community Alliance on Promoting Mental Health, an alliance that is raising public awareness of mental health issues and providing support for those who suffer from them.

Apr

Talk of the Metropolis: Prof. Kenneth Leung

Prof. Kenneth Leung Mei-yi gave this month's Talk of the Metropolis, titled “Creating Living Shorelines through Ecological Engineering”. Prof. Leung, who is Dean of the School of Energy and Environment and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution at City University of Hong Kong, talked about how his innovative “eco-engineered structures” are encouraging coastal ecosystems to develop.

Apr

Talk of the Metropolis: Mr Nicholas Ho

Mr Nicholas Ho Lik-chi, Commissioner for Belt and Road of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau of the HKSAR Government, delivered a Talk of the Metropolis address titled “Hong Kong's Participation in the Belt and Road Initiative”.

May

HKIE CA Division Summit

Co-organised with the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), the HKIE CA Division 23/24 Summit brought together engineering academics and professionals to present the latest developments in key areas of control, automation and instrumentation, such as the application of AI, robotics, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart sensors.

May

Connect U-r Voices in Cantonese Opera

The Connect U-r Voices in Cantonese Opera: Jointuniversity Cantonese Opera Performance was the first performance of Cantonese opera singing organised by the University's new Ina Ho Cantonese Opera Research Centre, along with the Centre for Chinese Music Studies of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Xiqu and Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre of The Education University of Hong Kong. The concert presented a number of popular traditional Cantonese opera pieces, expertly performed by teachers and students from local universities.

May

HKMU launches Distinguished Alumni Award

This month, HKMU launched its first Distinguished Alumni Award, a new initiative designed to recognise the outstanding achievements of some of its most successful graduates of the past 35 years. Four prominent alumni were awarded the inaugural prizes.

Jun

Metropolitan Cup 3x3 Basketball Tournament

This year's Metropolitan Cup 3x3 Basketball Tournament involved 18 teams from tertiary institutions in Hong Kong, Macau, the mainland and Singapore. The HKMU team battled hard, finishing as second runner-up in the Plate Competition.

Jun

International Conference on AI, Blockchain and IoT

The International Conference on AI, Blockchain and IoT 2024 brought together experts from around the world to present the latest developments in smart city technology, with a focus on developments in the use of smart sensors, the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and blockchain infrastructure, and AI for big data analysis.

Jun

International Conference on Linguistics and Language Studies

The Sixth International Conference on Linguistics and Language Studies was also held, featuring over 40 specialist papers that presented research findings on topics of international interest.

Jun

Scholarships and Awards Gala

The annual Scholarships and Awards Gala was a perfect occasion for the University to show its gratitude to its many long-term donors and supporters, along with scholarship recipients. It also featured a number of performances by student talents.

Jun

Creative Arts Graduation Show

Under the theme “Little Spark”, the Creative Arts Graduation Show highlighted over 120 artworks created by the year's 290 graduates from the various HKMU creative arts programmes. On display were some remarkable works in such diverse formats as animation, short film, installation art, photography, advertising and creative writing.

Jul

34th Summer Congregation

At the University's 34th Summer Congregation, over 2,700 graduates received their bachelor's degrees, postgraduate degrees and other academic qualifications.

Jul

Entrepreneurship Day 2024

HKMU's second Entrepreneurship Day featured consultation sessions and seminars on successful entrepreneurship. It also showcased 14 startups initiated by HKMU alumni and over 30 winning projects from past and current MetroChallenge entrepreneurship competitions.

Jul

Accreditation for HKMU physiotherapy programme

HKMU's four-year Bachelor of Science with Honours in Physiotherapy programme, launched in 2020, received full professional accreditation from the Physiotherapists Board of the Supplementary Medical Professions Council.

Jul

Homantin Plaza Learning Centre opened

HKMU's new Homantin Plaza Learning Centre, a suite of teaching spaces to ease the University's space shortage, was officially opened in good time for the upcoming academic year.

Jul

International Conference on Open and Innovative Education

HKMU's International Conference on Open and Innovative Education took place as a hybrid event this year. Over its three days, it provided a platform for educationalists from around the world to share insights and promote collaboration on the latest developments in the field of open and innovative education.

Jul

International Conference of Art, Design and Technology

The four-day International Conference of Art, Design and Technology 2024 hosted by HKMU brought together local and overseas scholars to discuss issues such as user-generated content, creative applications of art and design studies with digital technologies, and the impact of technology on art and design education.

Jul

School drama annual performance

The School of Education and Languages joined hands with the Hong Kong Teachers Drama Association to present an annual drama performance this month. The show featured three adapted plays staged by 40 teachers, local school students and HKMU students from the Chinese education double-degree programme, and attracted more than 700 attendees.

Jul

MU88 opened for student accommodation

The University's new student accommodation, MU88, was officially opened this month, at a special ceremony officiated by HKMU management and Council and Court Members.

Aug

Collaboration with The Museum of Hong Kong Literature

The Library and the School of Arts and Social Sciences signed a Memorandum of Understanding with The Museum of Hong Kong Literature to enhance collaboration on education and research in literature, art and digital humanities.

Aug

Partnership with TVB renewed

HKMU's long partnership with Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) in creating educational programmes for the public was renewed this month. The agreement means that a new Knowledge for All series will be developed for broadcasting on Sunday mornings.

Aug

Learning and Teaching Week 2024

HKMU's Learning and Teaching Week 2024, tailored for staff as they prepared for the new academic year, offered a rich menu of pedagogical resources and inspiration, including insights from invited academics from local and overseas institutions.

Aug

First meeting of Career Development Advisory Committee

HKMU's newly established Career Development Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting this month. Members, including many who are industry leaders and elite, engaged in a fruitful discussion on strategies to enhance students' career development and graduate employment.

Aug

School of Cantonese Studies

The School of Cantonese Studies 2024 was a four-day event co-organised by the School of Education and Languages and The Education University of Hong Kong. Topics covered included phonology, grammar, language and society, the historical development of Cantonese, and information technology in Cantonese learning and teaching.

Aug

Mainland Olympians visited HKMU campus

Ten Mainland Olympians and a coach who participated in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games visited the HKMU campus. They interacted with around a hundred local students, including many from HKMU, and athletes, encouraging them to be courageous in pursuing their dreams.

Aug