The Hong Kong Productivity Council and CUHK Join Forces to Nurture Next Generation InnoTalent with On-the-Job Research Opportunities to Strengthen Local Talent Pool

HONG KONG SAR�- Media
OutReach - 8 February 2021 - The Hong
Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the Faculty of Engineering of the Chinese
University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding
pledging to jointly nurture a new generation of innovation and technology (I&T)
talent and incubate more InnoTalent in Hong Kong. Through the provision of various
student internships and research programmes, the collaboration aims to
strengthen the local I&T talent pool, inject new impetus into the research
and development (R&D) and business sectors and enhance the competitiveness
of Hong Kong.

Mr Mohamed Butt,
Executive Director of HKPC (left) and Professor
Martin D. F. Wong, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK (right) signed a Memorandum of
Understanding pledging to jointly nurture a new generation of innovation and
technology talent.

Mr Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of HKPC, said, “Talent is the
key success factor for business when I&T has been sweeping across the
entire world and re-industrialisation is currently in active mode. The demand
for I&T power and talent by different industries has rapidly risen,
especially when the global economy is entering the new normal era.”

Mr Butt continued, “With over 50 years of experience in
consultancy services for I&T and applied research and future skills
training, HKPC takes up the public mission of nurturing talent. Our new
collaboration with the Faculty of
Engineering of CUHK showcases
HKPC’s commitment to the nurturing of R&D and innovation talent. Addressing
the different needs of undergraduate students, research postgraduates and PhD
students, HKPC will roll out internships and research programmes in line with
the requirement of the academic departments to enable students to acquire hands-on
R&D experience as early as possible. We hope this initiative can strengthen
the local talent pool and benefit the robust development of local I&T.”

Professor
Martin D. F. Wong, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK said, “The
Faculty of Engineering has always been committed to developing IT professionals
and promoting technology applications. This collaboration brings together our
strength in engineering research and education with HKPC’s rich experiences in
supporting industries in Hong Kong. Together we will be able to offer diverse
internship opportunities for CUHK engineering students so that they can gain
valuable work experiences and get inspiration for more innovative solutions for
the development of science and technology industries in Hong Kong.”

Areas for collaboration include the provision of rich
and credit-bearing, on-the-job training opportunities by HKPC for students
studying bachelor, master and doctoral courses at CUHK, and special teaching
module, professional training and part-time master and doctoral courses for
HKPC staff, provided by CUHK, in return. Giving practice and exchange
opportunities to students interested in I&T learning will help converge technological
talents and inject new impetus into Hong Kong’s economy, industries and
academia, creating favourable conditions for promoting I&T and
re-industrialisation.

About Hong Kong Productivity Council

The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is
a multi-disciplinary organisation established by statute in 1967, to promote
productivity excellence through integrated advanced technologies and innovative
service offerings to support Hong Kong enterprises. HKPC is the champion and
expert in facilitating Hong Kong’s reindustrialisation empowered by i4.0 and
e4.0 — focusing on R&D, IoT, big data analytics,  AI and Robotic
technology development, digital manufacturing, etc., to help enterprises and
industries upgrade their business performance, lower operating costs, increase
productivity and enhance competitiveness.

The Council is a trusted partner with
comprehensive innovative solutions for Hong Kong industries and enterprises,
enabling them to achieve resources and productivity utilisation, effectiveness
and cost reduction, and enhanced competitiveness in both local and
international marketplace. It offers SMEs and startups immediate and timely
assistance in coping with the ever-changing business environment, accompanying
them on their innovation and transformation journey.

In addition, HKPC partners and collaborates
with local industries and enterprises to develop applied technology solutions
for value creation. It also benefits a variety of sectors through product
innovation and technology transfer, with commercialisation of multiple
market-driven patents and technologies, bringing enormous opportunities abound
for licensing and technology transfer, both locally and internationally.

For
more information, please visit HKPC’s website: www.hkpc.org.

About
Faculty of Engineering, CUHK

Founded in 1963,
CUHK is a forward looking comprehensive research university.  The Faculty of Engineering, established in
1991, offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes through its six
departments: Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering,
Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering, Mechanical and Automation
Engineering, and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.  The Faculty of Engineering has world-class
teaching staff coming from prestigious universities possessing extensive
teaching experience and outstanding research track records.  It is also equipped with state-of-the-art
facilities to support teaching and research activities. The Faculty’s mission
is to train future leaders in engineering, to pursue knowledge at the frontier
of modern technology, and to apply advanced technology to meet societal and
human needs. For more information about CUHK Faculty of Engineering, please
refer to: www.erg.cuhk.edu.hk.