A delegation from Baoshan Iron & Steel Company Limited (Baosteel), a subsidiary of China Baowu Steel Group Corporation (Baowu Group), visited City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) on 22 May. The two sides discussed the feasibility of cooperation in the fields of education and scientific research, especially in materials science, artificial intelligence and clean energy.

The delegation was led by Mr Wu Jun, Vice President of Baosteel. Its members included Mr Tian Zhenghong, Vice President of the Baosteel Central Research Institute; Mr You Yi, Managing Director of Bao-Trans Enterprises Limited; Mr Sun Zhongqu, Head of Research and Development of the Baosteel Central Research Institute; and Mr Liu Chao, Officer of the Baosteel Central Research Institute and Research Center for Applied Technology. The delegation was warmly welcomed by Professor Freddy Boey, CityUHK President, and members of senior management, including Professor Lee Chun-sing, Provost and Deputy President; Professor Lu Chun, Vice-President (Mainland Strategy); and Professor Lu Jian, Dean of the College of Engineering.

CityUHK has long served as a global materials research hub, ranking 21st in the 2023 Soft Science World-Class Subject Rankings (Materials Science and Engineering), and recently successfully co-hosted the International Conference on Electronic Materials 2024. The conference was held in Hong Kong for the first time, bringing together some of the world’s top scientists and industry professionals to promote international cooperation and exchange.

President Boey thanked the delegation for their visit. With shared vision, he is looking forward to identifying opportunities for collaborative research and development between the two sides. Professor Lee introduced CityUHK’s academic and innovative achievements, including the establishment of the CityUHK Academy of Innovation, which offers innovative academic programmes. By providing students with the knowledge and skills needed for entrepreneurship and innovation, it supports the University’s cutting-edge research at the forefront of materials science and engineering. In addition, CityUHK was honoured as the Most International University in Times Higher Education (THE) 2024 and it climbed to 4th place in the recently announced THE Young Universities Rankings 2024, its highest ranking yet.

Professor Lee mentioned that 28 faculty members from CityUHK were named Highly Cited Researchers in 2023 by Clarivate. There are 29 academicians at the University and 36 Senior Fellows in the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study, including members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nobel Prize and Fields Medal winners, reflecting CityUHK’s research strengths and its ability to make broad contributions in the areas of intellectual property, patents and technology.

Mr Wu said that Baosteel is a globally leading modern iron and steel conglomerate and the core enterprise of Baowu Group. Baosteel attaches great importance to cooperation with higher education institutions, especially scientific research institutes. He said he looks forward to strengthening cooperation with CityUHK in the fields of new energy, new materials and artificial intelligence in the future, jointly leading the development of technology.

 

The delegation also visited two research facilities in materials science at CityUHK, namely the Hong Kong Branch of National Precious Metals Material Engineering Research Center, and the Water and Membrane Technologies Laboratory. They learned about how CityUHK responds to the development of the country's high-tech industry, develops new types of precious metal materials, improves traditional precious metal materials, and leverages its research strengths in advanced materials.