HKUST Annual Report 2022-2023

HKUST annual report 2022-2023 LAB to Market  The University fully recognizes the pressing need for research-driven solutions to sustainability, a key theme in our Strategic Plan 2021-2028 and a reflection of our commitment to the global Sustainable Development Goals. Over 2022-23, we made significant strides toward this objective with a host of related research developments. Some of them included: • A project that aims to devise a planning model for Hong Kong's electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Using optimization algorithms and spatial econometric models, the initiative will formulate a year-by-year plan to establish charging stations over the next five years. SPOTLIGHT on High-Impact Sustainability Research • Upgr ad i ng t he WavyOcean on l i ne ma r i ne environmental visualization platform from 2D to 3D, for marine management in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, China Seas, and Western Pacific. • Launch of the Green Sustainability Open Lab by HKUST Shenzhen–Hong Kong Collaborative Innovation Research Institute, Shui On Xintiandi and its InnoSpace GBA incubator. • Establishment of the Data Analytics for Sustainable Development Lab to devise novel ways to achieve sustainability in data center management. Our Sustainable Smart Campus as a Living Lab initiative has been supporting HKUST students, staff, faculty, alumni, and strategic partners in testing out sustainable and smart ideas on campus before implementing them in society. For details of the projects launched over 2022-23, please refer to the Sustainable Horizons chapter P.48-49. Fostering Knowledge Transfer Knowledge transfer is a crucial part of the innovation ecosystem, enabling research to directly benefit society. Alongside world-class facilities and an inspirational environment for our talents to achieve research excellence, HKUST provides a comprehensive knowledge transfer system, propelling forward economic and social development through the transfer of new technologies from research to practical applications. Such efforts range from securing patents and licensing of intellectual property (IP) to vitalizing HKUST start-ups and industry. Applying Technology Through Entrepreneurship As Hong Kong’s first university to invest in entrepreneurship, HKUST spares no effort in knowledge transfer via commercialization of research outputs. During the year, six HKUST start-ups were featured in the Forbes Asia 100 to Watch 2022 List, making it the only university in Asia to be included.