HKUST Annual Report 2023-2024

10 President’s Report Dual Campuses Drive Contribution to the Nation At the national level, we aimed to support the 14th Five- Year Plan, particularly in talent development and innovation promotion, by fortifying synergies with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (HKUST(GZ)) and our other Mainland platforms. These linkages are crucial for fostering our growth and collaboration within the Greater Bay Area and other dynamic regions across the Mainland. To enhance flexible learning with HKUST(GZ), the Redbird Cross Campus Study Program was jointly launched by the two campuses to leverage resources and widen students’ learning opportunities through course sharing, credit transfer, and student exchange. On the research front, the HKUST-HKUST(GZ) 20 for 20 Cross-Campus Collaborative Research Scheme, co-funded by both institutions, is encouraging increased collaboration in cross-disciplinary and frontier fields. Spurring Sustainability and Individual Diversity I am immensely pleased that HKUST is now garnering substantial international recognition for championing sustainability on our campus. In our debut in the THE Impact Rankings 2024, HKUST ranked No. 19 in the world, highlighting our efforts over the years to achieve excellence across multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals. At the Global Sustainable Development Congress in Bangkok, we led 15 universities from five regions in the pledge to use the “Living Lab” approach to promote carbon neutrality on university campuses, an effort inspired by HKUST’s own “Living Lab” concept, launched in 2019 under our Sustainable Smart Campus initiative. Locally, we remain committed to establishing an eco-friendly campus that embraces diversity and inclusiveness. Onward to the Extraordinary Looking ahead, with our new strategic plan in place, HKUST aims to support the city’s vision to become an international hub for higher education and innovation, by mobilizing our transformative education, pioneering research, and impactful knowledge transfer. These are lofty ambitions, yet I firmly believe they are within our reach. I am also thrilled to announce that the University secured significant donations totaling HK$752 million over the year from both the private and public sectors, empowering us to drive forward our mission. My heartfelt gratitude to our Council and Court members, faculty, staff, students, our 100,000-strong alumni, and our community supporters for their unwavering commitment and support, and their staunch belief in our ability to drive the University forward. I look forward to working with all of you to transform these steps into strides toward glowing new horizons and a brighter future. President Prof. Nancy Y. IP SBS, BBS, MH, JP