On January 10, a delegation of 18 representatives from the Hong Kong Construction Industry Council (HKCIC) and industry representatives visited the School of Civil Engineering & Transportation (SCET) and the School of Architecture (SA) at South China University of Technology (SCUT). The visit aimed to advance the integration of industry, academia, and research, thereby fostering innovation in civil engineering and architecture. Attendees included Mr. Zheng Dingning, Executive Director of HKCIC; Mr. Zhou Zhuohao, Director-General of Guangdong Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development; Prof. Zheng Zhanpeng from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST); Mr. Sin Chiu-shun, Board Member at Cyberport; Prof. Yao Xiaohu, Dean of SCET; Prof. Wu Jianying, Vice Dean of SCET; Prof. Peng Changxin, Dean of SA; and Prof. Su Ping, Vice Dean of SA. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Hu Nan, Vice Dean of SCET.
Scene of the exchange meeting
During the meeting, Prof. Yao Xiaohu warmly welcomed the delegation and highlighted the research achievements and talent development initiatives of SCET. He emphasized the significant role of HKCIC in advancing Hong Kong's construction industry and expressed potential for enhanced collaboration to promote innovation and development in the Greater Bay Area. Prof. Wu Jianying introduced the National Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, emphasizing its focus on interdisciplinary research and national strategic issues. Additionally, Prof. Peng Changxin detailed the academic and talent development efforts of SA.
Prof. Yao Xiaohu introducing representative achievements in SCET (left); Prof. Wu Jianying introducing the National Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science (right)
Mr. Zheng Dingning, Executive Director of HKCIC, outlined the structure, development, and industrial policies of HKCIC while advocating for deeper strategic cooperation to achieve mutual benefits in talent cultivation and industry development. Prof. Zheng Zhanpeng from HKUST commended SCUT's contributions to forward-looking research and talent training while expressing hope for strengthened cooperation in resource sharing and platform building. The Director of Cyberport, Mr.Sin Chiu-shun pointed out that SCUT is an important talent pool for innovation in the Greater Bay Area, and emphasized the importance of collaboration in building a technology innovation ecosystem.
Mr. Zheng Dingning delivering a speech (left); Prof. Zheng Zhanpeng speaking (right)
After the meeting, the delegation visited various platforms in the National Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building and Urban Science, including those focused on fire resistance, wind resistance, earthquake resistance, structural integrity, energy-saving, and digital construction.
Group photo
The partnership between academia and industry in Guangdong and Hong Kong not only serves as an effective catalyst for accelerating the deep integration of scientific frontiers and engineering innovation, but also acts as a significant source of robust synergy for the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area. Both parties will seize this exchange as a fresh opportunity to expedite further exploration into innovative education ecosystems for exceptional engineers in key fields by seamlessly integrating industry with education, merging science with education, effectively supporting high-level technological self-reliance, and continually promoting high-quality educational development.
(Photos/Department of Civil Engineering, HKCIC; Text/Department of Civil Engineering)
