Inauguration du France HKUST Innovation Hub

The Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) are joining hands to establish the France-HKUST Innovation Hub. Mr Eric BERTI, Consul General of France, and Prof Tony F CHAN, President of HKUST, attended the inauguration ceremony on 24 March 2017 at the HKUST Lee Shau Kee Campus.

“Matching the talent of HKUST students and the experience and business culture of the French industry to develop innovation, science and technology is very exciting. We see great potential in this Innovation Hub, both for French companies and for students,” said Consul General Eric BERTI in his inaugural speech. Prof Tony F CHAN expressed his appreciation of this promising partnership : “We were delighted to see HKUST join force with the French government to form the hub, a great platform for both sides to collaborate and spur innovation and technology development in tandem with many French industries. The initiative signifies the dedication and devotion of both sides to innovation and technology research – our mission and vision matches with each other’s, and HKUST is honored to be a partner of this initiative.”

The hub will serve as an incubator of ideas, opportunities and innovation, promoting aspiration for excellence in innovative projects. Long-term vision of French Consulate and HKUST is to put in place the necessary conditions for the implementation of research and development projects within HKUST.
The creation of the France-HKUST Innovation Hub aims to provide a one-stop platform to enhance partnerships and strengthen the linkage between French and Hong Kong innovation partners in education, science and technology. Over the years, HKUST has forged close ties with the French academic network to co-develop engineering related postgraduate studies with École nationale de l’aviation civile (ENAC), CentraleSupélec and École nationale supérieure des mines de Saint-Étienne.

French companies are also keen to recruit Asian talents and develop technological cooperation projects and they can make use of this platform to form alliance with HKUST. This can be seen from the strategic partnership established in 2014 between HKUST and Thales or the collaboration established in 2015 by the HKUST-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Research Alliance with Schneider Electric. The presence of French companies will facilitate the sharing of corporate culture, management methods and give students feedback of quality with updates on the latest development of industrial trends.
As a valuable and important strategic partnership between France and HKUST, the Innovation Hub will provide opportunities for students to nurture their creativity and benefit from the experience of some of France’s most successful innovative companies.
 

About Consulate of France in Hong Kong and Macau

Headed by Consul General Eric Berti, the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau administers the French community in Hong Kong and Macau and has the mission to serve and protect the interests of French citizens. It also delivers visas to nationals of other countries willing to travel to France. Under the authority of the French Ambassador in Beijing, the Consul General is in charge of coordinating and furthering the development of political, cultural and economic relations between France and both Hong Kong and Macau.

About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is the world’s second in the latest QS’ Top 50 under 50 ranking. Its graduates were ranked 13th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global Employability University Survey 2016.

Some of the partners said …

The French Foreign Trade Advisors in Hong Kong (Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France - CCEF), who are appointed by the French Government, hold key positions in the International French companies. They play a direct role in the development of the image of France as a world leader in the High Technology and innovation in every industry.

With the vision to promote the advancement of technology, the French Trade advisors have been working closely with universities in Hong Kong to nurture the engineers of tomorrow. They collaborate on R&D projects which provide significant value for the development of their own companies. They also believe that such cooperation can facilitate bridging the two cultures of France and Asia and the synergy can create high added value.

As most of them have been educated in the best schools and universities in France, the French Foreign Trade Advisors contribute very actively to support the Alumni in Hong Kong as well as the cooperation agreements between schools in France and Hong Kong.

Jean-Benoit KAEPPELIN, CCEF Hong Kong Secretary General

The French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) is a government-funded research organization, under the administrative authority of France’s Ministry of Higher Education and Research. With 20 Nobel laureates and 12 Fields Medal laureates, the CNRS has a long tradition of excellence. It delivers high-quality research and is consistently ranked as a top research institution worldwide.

CNRS has ongoing research projects with HK universities in different fields. The France HKUST Innovation Hub will most probably help the CNRS strategy in China to develop links with this university, as well as to foster R&D collaboration projects between public and private laboratories like international Mixt Units that exist in Shanghai or in Singapore.

Antoine MYNARD, CNRS China Office Director

InvivoGen is a French biotechnology company serving life scientists worldwide with innovative and high-quality research reagents. Specialized in innate immunology, InvivoGen’s expertise foster the discovery and design of new tools and services to encourage cutting-edge research. InvivoGen Limited was incorporated in the Hong Kong Science & Technology Park in 2014. This regional headquarter is key for the future development of business and scientific collaborations in Asia.

At the forefront of life science innovation, we are a partner of choice for academic researchers. Taking part to the France-HKUST Innovation Hub is a great opportunity for us to connect Hong Kong scientific community.

Alexandre PEURICHARD, InvivoGen Ltd Asia Operations Manager

Schneider Electric is the global specialist in energy management and automation. With revenues of €25 billion in FY2016, our 160,000+ employees serve customers in over 100 countries, helping them to manage their energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable. From the simplest of switches to complex operational systems, our technology, software and services improve the way our customers manage and automate their operations. Our connected technologies reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives.
At Schneider Electric, we call this Life Is On.

Schneider Electric has ongoing collaboration with HKUST. With an eye on sustainability and energy efficiency on a local and global scale, Schneider Electric and HKUST recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of drawing upon the highest level of expertise to advance IoT solution through collaboration in research and talent nourishment. Believe the France-HKUST Innovation Hub is a great platform to strengthen France and Hong Kong connection in various technological areas.

Rerina OR, President Hong Kong, Schneider Electric (Hong Kong) Ltd

Thales is a leading multi-domestic electronics and systems group, addressing Defence and Security, Aerospace and Ground Transport markets worldwide. State-of-the-art technologies combined to the expertise of 67,000 employees in 56 countries make Thales a key player in assuring security of people, assets, infrastructures, cities and nations.

HKUST and Thales have entered since May 2014 into a collaborative agreement to boost innovation, nurture young engineering innovators, and serve the development of smart cities in the region.
HKUST and Thales are working closely on collaborative research projects under the general governance set under the agreement. To this extent, the two parties have successfully being selected by the Innovation & Technology Commission (ITC) of HKSAR for the co-development a Big Data Platform for Smart Transportation based on heterogeneous data sources.
HKUST and Thales collaboration also encompasses exchanges of researchers and mutual visits, student internship and co-nourishment of engineers.

Ludovic LANG, Thales Transport & Security (Hong Kong) Ltd