It is always refreshing to start a new academic year with good news. This year (the 2024 Autumn Term), we have welcomed an impressive jump in our student numbers, at a time when the city's total student population is on the decline. It is especially good to see this influx of new students now that HKMU has been designated as Hong Kong's first university of applied sciences (UAS).
Our UAS status reaffirms HKMU's commitment to practical, professional education that addresses social and economic demand and leads to real jobs. It proves our efforts over recent years to build close ties with industry have borne fruit, enabling us to expand the industry-focused programme elements. All along, we have maintained a highly diverse programme mix, positioning HKMU as a fully comprehensive university.
More good news came in the form of a boost in the places awarded to HKMU under the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors (SSSDP) for 2025–26. We now have around 40% of the total number of SSSDP places on offer. These places also cover our newly strengthened programme, the Bachelor of Business Administration with Honours in Aviation Services Management enhanced with a new Cadet Pilot concentration.
Our growth in student numbers has brought challenges, especially in terms of campus space shortage. Over the past year we have taken some quite momentous steps to address this. We purchased a hotel, now renamed MU88, to house non-local students. We set up the Homantin Plaza Learning Centre to expand our teaching space. Approval has been gained for a major new campus on the corner of Sheung Shing Street and Fat Kwong Street, and we are seeking to establish an Industrial Centre.
This month we made another significant acquisition — the Cheung Kei Center on Hung Luen Road, Hung Hom — to support our long-term development. Located on the Hung Hom Waterfront Promenade, it is easily accessible from the Whampoa and Hung Hom Stations and the Hung Hom Ferry Pier. Boasting a total gross floor area of 279,000 square feet, it will significantly increase our usable space and allow us to expand our programme offerings to meet society's diverse needs.
Possibilities for cross-border collaboration are greater than they have ever been, and we have been taking full advantage of this by seeking out talent and research development opportunities with Greater Bay Area (GBA) partners. In November 2023, for example, we signed an agreement with the Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality to join Shenzhen Virtual University Park, becoming Hong Kong's first self-financing tertiary institution to do so. As part of this agreement, we are setting up the 5,000-square-foot Hong Kong Metropolitan University Shenzhen Research Institute, a laboratory scheduled for operation in the first quarter of 2025.
Our GBA initiatives are testament to the recognition our research efforts have received, which is also reflected by our impressive performance in attracting research funding. In the latest round of funding for self-financing institutions from the Research Grants Council (RGC), HKMU secured 40% of the total grant sum, ranking us first not only in percentage but also in the number of projects awarded. We also received our first “Institutional Development Scheme Collaborative Research Grant (IDS-CRG)” for an important study on the detection and degradation of antibiotics in the environment.
Our momentum in knowledge transfer has also begun to pick up significantly. The first batch of patents for University inventions was granted in December 2023. In February this year, we launched the HK$50 million HKMU Startup Fund, designed to foster a spirit of entrepreneurship and invention among the University community that will help turn brilliant ideas into practical commercial products and solutions.
After 35 years, we have built up a large body of graduates, many of whom have made significant contributions to the community. This year, we decided it was time to recognise these graduates by establishing a Distinguished Alumni Award for those who have made a mark in their professions, a move we believe will help motivate other alumni to strive for great things.
Another highlight of the year was the successful organisation of the first HKMU Foundation Dinner in March 2024. By bringing together donors, partners and friends from across the community, the HKMU Foundation will further channel external financial support for the University and expand what we are able to do in the future.
This brief summary highlights the vibrant and exciting times of change and growth we are going through. Our University management team has been reorganised and expanded to help us better manage all these new initiatives. I welcome the new members of the team, and look forward to working with them in shaping the HKMU of tomorrow.
Prof. Paul Lam Kwan-sing
December 2024
