On December 21st, Guangzhou's Municipal Government and Guangzhou University signed agreements with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) to establish HKUST (GZ).

HKUST (GZ) will help steer frontier development of HKUST in education, science and technology, business and management as well as knowledge transfer, adding its strength to the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Located in Qingsheng, Nansha in Guangzhou, the new campus is part of a modern high-end service area, situated next to a high speed rail station and covering an area of 1.13 square kilometers. It takes just 35 minutes to get to West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link.

Under the agreement, the Guangzhou Government will fund the project's entire construction cost, and subsidize the new campus' future basic annual operating budget.

Meanwhile, HKUST will introduce its management model, teaching and research culture into the new campus to ensure it maintains the same quality and standards as its Hong Kong counterpart. HKUST will also ensure that the new campus' facilities, design and planning comply with international standards.

HKUST hopes to bring its vision and teaching experience into Guangzhou and work with HKUST's Fok Ying Tung Research Institute in Nansha and Shenzhen Research Institute to cultivate innovative talent, people with global vision for the region.

With the new campus located next to the newly planned high-tech park in Guangzhou, it is hoped that HKUST students can better transfer their research achievements and innovative ideas through the established industrial chain there.

According to the agreement, the new campus will adopt English as its basic language. Only postgraduate students will be admitted in the initial phase, with intake eventually expanding to 4,000. The curriculum will take into account international trends and the needs of the Greater Bay Area, with emphases on interdisciplinary subjects.

The parties have started preparatory work on areas such as academic planning, institutional structure and campus design and development. It is believed the establishment of HKUST (GZ) will further cooperation between Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the fields of education, science and technology.

About the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a world-class research university that 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.

Reported by Will

Edited by Simon