President NI Engages with Uzbek and Swedish Visitors

On July 18, Professor Lionel M. NI, President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), held a meeting with Professor Bakhodir TURAYEV, Vice President of Tashkent State Transport University, Uzbekistan (TSTU). This engagement marked a significant step towards collaboration between our institutions. Joining the discussions were Dr. Melike BASBINAR, Coordinator of Chinese Universities and Enterprises of TSTU, Dr. Yu BAI, Director of our Entrepreneurship Center, and Jing FU, Head of Global Affairs Department.

President Ni warmly welcomed Professor Turayev and his delegation, emphasizing the importance of their visit as he prepares to lead an HKUST(GZ) delegation to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in late September. During the meeting, President Ni provided an in-depth overview of HKUST(GZ)'s development since its inception, highlighting its unique interdisciplinary framework and notable research achievements in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Prof. NI warmly welcomed Prof. TURAYEV, underscoring the importance of this visit ahead of our planned trip to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in September. He shared HKUST(GZ)’s interdisciplinary pedagogy and our impactful research in the Greater Bay Area.

Prof. Ni emphasized the potential of higher education partnerships to strengthen China-Central Asia ties, focusing on collaborative research and talent development in “AI + Transportation” and “AI + Engineering.” Prof. Turayev expressed strong support, recognizing the enduring partnership between Uzbekistan and China, and looks forward to new collaborative opportunities with HKUST(GZ).

On July 21st, President Lionel NI had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Dennis PAMLIN, Senior Advisor at Sweden’s RISE Institute to our campus. He sincerely thanked Mr. Pamlin for his dedication in connecting HKUST(GZ) with European and Swedish collaborators over the last 18 months.

Notably, Mr. Pamlin has been a valued guest at the China-EU Higher-Education Roundtable held in Brussels last January and the Sino-European Higher Education Forum on Technologies & Arts in June, where he contributed insights on developing ecosystem of research university and fostering innovation in higher education.

This month, Mr. PAMLIN, along with his son Fenix, engaged in volunteer teaching in Zhuolu County, Hebei Province, forging meaningful connections with Chinese students and volunteers.