HKUST Annual Report 2023-2024

45 HKUST Annual Report 2023-2024 Outreach and Regional Ties That Look to the Future It was a busy year for global interactions, with the University receiving more than 130 delegations from government officials and academic partners in the Mainland, Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East. Regional ties expanded with a delegation to the United Arab Emirates, led by President Ip. Beta Lab, a prominent Saudi Arabian venture capital firm, signed an MoU covering support for the University’s DeepTech 315 International Partnerships Incubator and collaborations in start-up investment, pitching, and product development. In addition, senior management fostered relationships through overseas visits to Europe andAustralia to explore strategic partnership with leading universities and reconnect with alumni. In Hong Kong, relations with Consuls-General continued to strengthen with University senior management engaging with over 30 diplomatic representatives from global government institutions and consulates through meetings, campus visits, and HKUST-led initiatives.