Translation and Transformation The first area where we are rethinking things echoes back to our distinguished guest of honour, Ambassador George Hara, who has been very active in supporting the development of biotechnical innovations in his native Japan, Hong Kong and beyond. George embodies an optimism for the future that can inspire all of us, especially young people. The era of AI, data science and biomedical technologies has only just begun and there is huge promise if we embrace the opportunities there. To advance that cause, we are working with the Faculties of Dentistry, Engineering, and Science to establish a new School of Biomedical Engineering. The School will build on the innovation achievements of all the faculties involved and drive deeper collaboration in areas where there is great potential to break new ground, such as medical instrumentation, biomaterials, and diagnostic & therapeutic devices. Our aim will be to improve health and medical treatment, from basic research through to commercialisation and techno-entrepreneurship, and ensure our discoveries are brought into the community. This effort to build on our strengths and ramp up innovation is coinciding with major new external opportunities related to tech transfer and innovation – one of which speaks to our success in long-term planning and our commitment to excellence. In last year’s Policy Address, the Chief Executive announced that the government would establish the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute (GBAICTI) in the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park, to co-ordinate and integrate clinical trials resources across Hong Kong’s public and private sectors. This September, HKUMed welcomed the very good news that we had been appointed the operator of the Institute – a recognition of our strong track record in clinical trials, dating back more than 25 years when we established the HKU Clinical Trials Centre. Our centre has arranged more than 2,000 Phase One, Two and Three clinical trials over the years, notably VectorFlu® ONE, the novel Covid-19 nasal vaccine developed by our very own HKUMed researchers. The Centre’s trials are recognised by the National Medical Products Administration of our country, the American FDA and other major regulatory bodies around the world. With the GBAICTI, we will aim to provide a one-stop service that can facilitate clinical trials on a larger, regional scale and promote cross-border collaboration. Our plan is to organise resources around four strategic dimensions. One is about process innovation and optimisation – we want to connect, co-ordinate and synchronise clinical research resources across academic institutions and the public and private sectors (such as hospitals, regulatory authorities and funding bodies). The second dimension is about 3 THE DEAN’S LETTER
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