The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has embarked on the development of the Global Innovation Centre (GIC), an interdisciplinary deep-tech research facility that aims to tackle global challenges and ignite transformative inventions through original discovery.
This interdisciplinary deep-tech research facility embodies HKU’s collective commitment to pushing the boundaries of human knowledge and finding solutions to grand challenges such as climate change and prevention of future pandemics. It will be the knowledge fountainhead dedicated to original discovery and will be Hong Kong’s first transdisciplinary deep technology research facility that solely focuses on upstream research.
The GIC is more than a physical structure. Through shared facilities and opportunities for international and cross-disciplinary exchange, the GIC is positioned to become an unparalleled, enabling research environment with cutting-edge laboratories that can serve as a platform where top minds in science come together to conduct research that transcends disciplines, challenges conventions, and catalyses inventions that benefit the generations to come.
The project, first conceived in the 2021 Policy Address, also underscores HKU’s unwavering commitment to supporting the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint - to drive scientific advancements, attract talent, and elevate Hong Kong’s position as an international I&T hub.
The GIC site will be located at the heart of the new “Island Innovation Corridor” – creating synergy with the existing HKU campus at Sassoon Road, the Queen Mary Hospital, Cyberport and its planned supercomputing facility. The GIC will focus primarily on generating scientific outcomes at the upstream that can bolster downstream applications, thereby completing and reinvigorating the local I&T ecosystem.
The GIC can accommodate 1,500 research teams locally and internationally in the long run to carry out impactful basic scientific research. It will provide state-of-the-art laboratories, user facilities, and amenities built around six initial strategic research foci including quantum science, atomic science, health sciences, artificial intelligence, sustainable energy, and financial technology.
While the GIC is still in its early planning stage, the construction is expected to commence in 2027 in phases (subject to statutory procedures). The development will benefit the Pokfulam neighbourhood and serve as a STEM education hub.
Useful Links:
GIC Website: https://gic.hku.hk
Join GIC Mailing List: https://gic.hku.hk/contact-us/
Secretariat of the Task Force on GIC: gic@hku.hk