HKUST(GZ) Hosts Global Open Day in London
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) (HKUST(GZ)) has begun a six-country European tour with a flagship Global Open Day in London on 20 September, strengthening institutional collaboration and people-to-people exchanges between the UK and Chinese higher education communities.
Led by Professor Lionel M. Ni, President of HKUST(GZ), the London programme included talent-recruitment roundtables across the University’s academic units, as well as a high-level joint panel co-hosted with its long-standing strategic partner, the University of Bristol. Entitled Innovative Connections: UK–China University Dialogue on Impactful Research, the forum took place at a symbolic moment, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the University of Bristol and the 35th anniversary of HKUST. It also followed recent diplomatic communications between Chinese and UK leaders signaling renewed openness to educational cooperation, making the event a timely contribution to bilateral research and academic exchange.
In his opening address, Professor Ni reflected on HKUST(GZ)’s rapid institutional development—from a newly established campus on what was once rural land to a globally connected hub for interdisciplinary innovation. He described the UK as one of the University’s most valued partner countries, highlighting its steadily growing collaboration with the UK higher education community.
Professor Ni said the European tour would extend HKUST(GZ)’s global collaborative network by bringing together Europe’s long-standing academic strengths and the agile, dynamic innovation ecosystem of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. The aim, he said, is to advance research that delivers tangible real-world outcomes.
The UK visit marks the first leg of a wider European itinerary covering France, Spain, Serbia, North Macedonia and Turkey. During the three-day visit in UK, the delegation is scheduled to engage with leading UK institutions, including the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, the London School of Economics and Political Science, the University of Bristol and the University of Birmingham. The programme includes new partnership agreements, expanded two-way student mobility and further structured joint-research initiatives.
According to Professor Ni, the multi-country tour demonstrates the University’s long-term commitment to global talent recruitment and sustained international academic and cultural engagement as it enters its fifth year of operation.
The Global Open Day programme began in the afternoon with talent roundtables, during which HKUST(GZ) representatives held one-to-one discussions with overseas scholars about academic recruitment and future faculty collaboration.
The cross-border panel brought together academics and higher education leaders from leading British and Chinese universities, including Professor Lei Chen, Dean of the Information Hub at HKUST(GZ); Dr Shidong Wang, Director of the Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute at the University of Oxford; Professor Boguslaw Obara, Dean of Business, Partnerships and Place at Newcastle University; Mr Toby Berrett, Global Research Partnerships and Alliances Executive at the London School of Economics and Political Science; and Professor Mingming Fan, Acting Head of the Red Bird MPhil Base at HKUST(GZ).
Speakers explored practical models for UK–China collaborative innovation, covering research-impact assessment beyond conventional academic metrics; the translation of fundamental science into industrial applications; university–industry frameworks for nurturing global innovators; the complementary roles of UK innovation clusters and the Greater Bay Area; sustainable reciprocal cooperation amid shifting geopolitical conditions; and institutional best practice in research commercialisation and achieving social impact. The session featured extensive discussion and attracted more than 100 in-person attendees.
Youth exchange was part of the day’s programme. Guangzhou–Bristol Youth Ambassadors and student representatives from the University of Strathclyde shared first-hand experiences of participating in HKUST(GZ)’s summer school and international camp programmes. Their accounts demonstrated how structured student mobility can bridge geographical distances and strengthen cross-cultural understanding between the UK and China.
Over the past three years, nearly 700 young participants from more than 60 countries have taken part in the University’s international short-term academic initiatives.
At the event’s closing, Professor Oliver Quick, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (International Partnerships & Reputation) at the University of Bristol, said the University’s partnership with HKUST(GZ) was developing rapidly. He said the joint forum had created an important platform for advancing innovation and technology exchange between UK and Chinese universities. Building on the sister-city relationship between Bristol and Guangzhou, the two institutions are working to foster a shared innovation ecosystem. Quick highlighted the success of the Guangzhou–Bristol Youth Ambassadors Programme, noting that Bristol students had visited Guangzhou for exchange activities. He expressed hope to deepen long-term, mutually beneficial cooperation between the two universities.
In his closing remarks, Professor Ni thanked the University’s institutional partners for their continued support. He acknowledged the contributions of long-term collaborators to HKUST(GZ)’s interdisciplinary development and invited new European academic partners to engage with the young, research-intensive international university.
The event was covered by reporters from the Xinhua News Agency’s London bureau and China Daily Europe.
