HKUST Annual Report 2023-2024

43 HKUST Annual Report 2023-2024 International Connectivity Stepping Up and Speaking Out Among Global Thought Leaders With our commitment to driving transformational change in higher education and society, HKUST powered forward our contributions to global agendas over 2023-24. President Ip was the sole university president from Hong Kong to attend the 2024 World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, while HKUST remains the only Hong Kong member of the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF), comprising the world’s leading academic institutions. In Davos, President Ip joined over 3,000 global leaders from 120-plus countries and regions to address key issues facing the world today. Participation included a panel discussion on global demographic shifts and navigating longer lifespans. At the WEF summer session in Dalian attended by over 1,600 international leaders and innovators, Provost Prof. GUO Yike joined a panel discussion on AI and media industries while two HKUST breakthroughs—durable hydrogen fuel cells and a spherical artificial eye with 3D retina—went on display in the newly added “Frontiers of Innovation Expo”. At the high-profile Seoul Forum, President Ip met South Korea’s Minister of Science and ICT to discuss potential collaboration in innovation and technology. The event drew policymakers, distinguished scholars from other leading international research universities, such as MIT and Caltech, and major company leaders from IBM, Samsung, among others. The year also saw the WEF’s leadership program for selected Young Global Leaders held at HKUST, marking the first time a university in Greater China had hosted the immersive program, along with other world-leading institutions.