News & Stories
2025

News
HKUST Partners with CAS Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization to Host Hong Kong's First Belt and Road Space Technology Training Workshop (Chinese Version only)
由中國科學院國際合作局、中國載人航天工程辦公室及聯合國教科文組織共同指導,並由中國科學院空間應用工程與技術中心、香港科技大學(科大)和中國科學院香港創新研究院聯合主辦的「第二屆『一帶一路』空間科學應用國際培訓班」,於今天(2025年7月24日)至8月5日在科大舉辦。
是次培訓班首次在香港舉行,中國科學院空間應用工程與技術中心副主任(主持工作)王強、中國科學院國際合作局副局長吳艶、聯合國教科文組織基礎科學司司長胡少鋒、香港特區政府工業專員(創新及科技)葛明博士、埃及航天局局長Sherif SEDKY,以及科大副校長(研究及發展)鄭光廷教授出席開幕活動並致辭。一眾來自埃及、泰國、保加利亞、瑞士、巴基斯坦等國家及地區的學員嘉賓,以及負責擔任培訓班導師的科大土木及環境工程學系講座教授兼太空科學與技術研究院院長蘇慧教授、聯席院長兼機械及航空航天工程學系于宏宇教授及高揚教授亦出席了開幕活動。
中國科學院空間應用工程與技術中心副主任(主持工作)王強在致辭時表示,首屆培訓班於北京舉辦,本屆特意選址香港,意在充分發揮粵港澳大灣區核心引擎的區位優勢、開放科研環境及跨境合作平台作用。他強調,香港作為聯通內地與世界的橋梁,將為「一帶一路」沿線及更多國家參與者創造合作新契機,推動空間科技成果全球共享。
鄭光廷教授致辭時感謝國際合作夥伴的鼎力支持,以及政府部門的高度重視,他表示:「此次培訓匯聚『一帶一路』沿線國家航天精英於科大校園,一同探索航天科技的前沿研究及全球佈局,饒富意義。科大多年來深耕航空航天工程學,通過雙軌驅動以建構在這領域的核心競爭力,包括一:廣納全球賢才,組建頂尖科研團隊;二積極搭建『產學研用』生態,深度參與國家重大航天工程項目,累積寶貴經驗。去年,科大肩負國家使命,主導『嫦娥八號』國家探月計劃大的多功能月面作業機械人暨可移動充電站國際合作項目,更透過InnoHK創新平台成立『香港太空機械人與能源中心』,開創香港高校領銜深空探索的先河。未來,我們將以太空機械人為焦點,促進太空科學與人工智能的跨學科融合,為構建可持續的月球科研站及人類深空探索能力貢獻力量。」

News
HKUST Unveils WavyOcean 2.0: A Next-Generation Ocean Platform for Marine Research and Sustainability
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is pleased to announce the launch of WavyOcean 2.0, an immersive digital twin platform of regional earth system. This upgraded platform deeply integrates digital technologies with innovative research in Earth system, creating the first "dynamic digital mirror" for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) and China's coastal regions. With these enhancement, WavyOcean 2.0 offers the latest data on ocean currents, marine ecology, atmospheric conditions, and the distribution of rivers and pollutants in terrestrial watersheds, along with comprehensive data analysis tools and immersive visualization interactive functions.
News
HKUST Unveils Otto Poon Center for Climate Resilience and Sustainability
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today inaugurated the Otto Poon Center for Climate Resilience and Sustainability (CCRS), a transformative initiative designed to accelerate research, innovation and policy solutions in climate resilience and sustainable development. Established through the generous support of Ir Dr. Otto POON, Founder of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation, the Center unites HKUST’s world-class expertise in climate science, advanced modeling systems, artificial intelligence (AI), renewable energy and sustainable policy to deliver scalable and actionable strategies for governments, industries, and communities worldwide.

News
HKUST Study Warns of Accelerating Climate Threat: “Precipitation Whiplashes” Could Strike as Early as 2028
A recent study by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) reveals a looming climate crisis: the world could face heightened risks of “precipitation whiplashes” – violent swings between extreme droughts and floods – as early as 2028. This research, led by Prof. LU Mengqian and Dr. CHENG Tat-Fan of HKUST’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, attributes the escalating risk to climate-driven intensification of Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) events. This large-scale pattern of tropical intraseasonal climate variability is now propagating faster due to global warming.
The findings, published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications, pave the way for improved subseasonal forecasts, i.e., two to six weeks in advance, enabling timely decision-making in disaster preparedness and management, and helping to enhance food and water security, energy management, and infrastructure resilience.

News
HKUST & Esquel Unveil Five-Year Study: Empowering Students for Sustainable Innovation
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (“HKUST”) has partnered with Esquel Enterprises Limited (“Esquel Group”) to launch a five-year study program that allows HKUST students to conduct biannual field research at the textile manufacturer’s 500,000-square-meter Sustainable Development Garden Integral, recognized as one of China’s top 20 sustainable development projects by the United Nations.
Guided by HKUST faculty, students will visit the garden twice a year in groups to assess and make recommendations regarding its sustainability impact on environmental monitoring and biodiversity conservation. This initiative marks another academic-industry collaboration aimed at accelerating the Greater Bay Area’s transition to a low-carbon economy.

News
HKUST and French Consulate General Renew Partnership to Nurture Sustainability-Focused Researchers
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has renewed its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau (French Consulate General) for the third time, deepening eight-year collaboration. This agreement strengthens joint efforts to address global sustainability challenges, which include the Anita Conti Sustainable Innovation Fellowship, an initiative designed to foster the development of the next generation of researchers, innovators, and environmentalists, equipping them to tackle the pressing challenges of climate change and its global impacts.

News
HKUST Discovers Novel Elastic Alloy Achieving 20x Temperature Change and 90% Carnot Efficiency in Solid-State Heat Pumping
Researchers at the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a novel elastic alloy called Ti₇₈Nb₂₂, which achieves remarkable efficiency for solid-state heat pumping and exhibits a reversible temperature change (ΔT) ability that is 20 times greater than that of conventional metals when stretched or compressed, offering a promising green alternative to traditional vapor-compression heating and cooling technologies.

News
Pioneering Climate Resilience and Sustainability: HKUST Launches Landmark UNESCO-Backed Initiative
The global transdisciplinary "research-to-operation" (R2O) initiative, “Seamless Prediction and Services for Sustainable Natural and Built Environments” (SEPRESS), led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been endorsed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as part of its International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD). Over the next decade, HKUST’s SEPRESS will spearhead efforts to collaborate with global partners in transforming scientific advancements into tailored solutions that enhance climate resilience and sustainability worldwide, with a particular focus on Least Developed Countries. SEPRESS will achieve this by translating progress in weather-to-climate prediction research into scalable solutions and fostering global partnerships to deliver actionable outcomes.