Strategic Plan 2021-2028

OVERVIEW Established in 1991, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is now a globally respected university and contributes both locally and internationally to talent development, new knowledge and societal interests. Being international is an intrinsic element of the HKUST spirit. The University was founded on the principle that education, original scholarship, and the development of society are integrally linked and best pursued together. We believe that humanity’s advancement is generated through the fostering of an international community and the nurturing of individuals through holistic education, original research, and knowledge transfer into the wider society. Continuing Commitments: We are in a time of great challenges, in Hong Kong as well as around the globe. A campus supporting openness, diversity and mutual respect is our highest priority. We must join hands in upholding our core principles and values, by exercising individual and institutional integrity, promoting our international standard, and improving our gender distributions as well as enhancing cultural diversity. Facing all these issues and needs, there is an additional demand on resources, both human and nancial. Given the current and future challenges, some members have been encountering elevated nancial and mental stresses. The University wi l l continue to place a high priority to provide nancial rel ief for those in need as wel l as to support mental-wellness via peer sharing and professional counseling. We will also continue the substantial partnership established with our external supporters in these areas. Embracing New Era: Impacted by the pandemic, we have adapted and sought to optimize teaching arrangements, based on the valuable input from our faculty, students and staff through technological backing and mul t iple innovat ive arrangements. Such efforts will continue as we not only are under unprecedented challenges in teaching and learning but also should continue to innovate and improve with the hard-learned lessons in recent past. On the research front, in addi t ion to substant ial government support, we now see that a growing number of private enterprises are seeking close collaboration with HKUST in different areas, motivated by mutual interest in advancing frontiers of science and technology. Such partnership will help propel Hong Kong and the region to innovate and to transform its societal and economic landscape. Signature Themes of the Future: Sustainable conduct , both locally and globally, is a paramount topic of forever impact. At HKUST, in addition to commitments of cutting down energy, water and waste, there is a self-expectation that we should make strong contributions to address the issues based on science and technology, as well as policy, human behavior and psychology. The Sustainable Smart Campus “as a Living Lab” initiative ① , with substant ial commi tments of the Universi ty’s resources has been gaining momentum, and wi l l be encouraged to further scale up for comprehensive experimentation. Members of HKUST have created impressive marks in intelligent industrialization including robotics, big data, renewable energy and new materials. There are highly recognized enterprises related to personal drones, autonomous water vehicles and cars, FinTech, electronics and biomedical technologies which were founded by our alumni and faculty. Riding on these achievements, we will also develop energetic frameworks to support these endeavors with a goal of advancing and supporting human capital from birth to the end. Under these three themes, our Strategic Plan is aimed at addressing the future of living, the future of work, and the future of people . 1 ① https://ssc.hkust.edu.hk/