HKUST Lauds MOST for Granting Three State Key Labs
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today received plaques from YIN Hejun, Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) for its three State Key Laboratories (SKLs) at the Government Headquarters of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). HKUST sincerely thanks MOST, and the Hong Kong Innovation, Technology, and Industry Bureau (ITIB) for their continued trust and recognition of the University’s research efforts. In addition to the two renamed SKLs following restructuring – the “State Key Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders (SKLNSD)” and the “State Key Laboratory of Displays and Opto-Electronics (SKLDOE)” – HKUST will also collaborate with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) to establish a new “State Key Laboratory of Climate Resilience for Coastal Cities (SKLCRCC)”. The new lab aims to provide scientific and technological support to address national priorities such as coping with extreme weather and enhancing urban safety and disaster prevention capabilities.
MOST initiated the optimization and restructuring of SKLs in 2022 and approved the restructuring for 12 existing labs in early 2025, along with the establishment of three new ones (one of which is jointly built by two universities). All 15 SKLs officially became national-level scientific and technological innovation platforms on July 1 this year. HKUST has both fully retained all its existing SKLs and successfully obtained approval to establish a new one.
Chief Executive John LEE of HKSAR, Minister Yin Hejun of MOST, Director ZHOU Ji of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR (LOCPG), and Secretary SUN Dong of the ITIB attended today’s plaque presentation ceremony and held a forum with the presidents of five local universities and the directors of the 15 SKLs. They discussed how Hong Kong can leverage its talented professionals, innovative research, and international environment to better support the nation’s innovation-driven development strategy. Prof. Nancy IP, HKUST President and Director of the SKLNSD, Prof. Kristiaan NEYTS, Director of SKLDOE, Prof. FAN Zhiyong, Co-Director of the SKLDOE, and Prof. Charles NG, Co-Director of SKLCRCC, for this discussion and the subsequent plaque-awarding ceremony.
HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee stated, “Under the principle of ‘one country, two systems,’ Hong Kong has the advantage of enjoying the strong support of the motherland while being closely connected to the world. It actively plays the role of a ‘super connector’ and ‘super value-adder.’ The SKLs in Hong Kong serve as an important platform for bringing together outstanding researchers from all over the world by establishing partnerships with top universities and research institutions at home and abroad, helping to build Hong Kong into a hub for international high-end talent.”
MOST Minister Yin Hejun said that the establishment of 15 State Key Laboratories in Hong Kong reflects the nation’s high recognition of and full confidence in Hong Kong’s scientific research capabilities, innovation capacity, and development potential. It also represents the Central Government’s ardent expectations and confers a momentous mission upon Hong Kong’s scientific community. He expressed his hope that these laboratories will strengthen their commitment to addressing scientific challenges that underpin national needs and dare to explore uncharted territories at the frontiers of science and technology.
LOCPG Director Zhou Ji stated that a number of internationally renowned scholars and scientists have chosen to become Hong Kong residents in recent years. He anticipates that Hong Kong will better leverage its unique advantages by vigorously promoting the holistic development of education, science, and talent cultivation. By doing so, it can attract and nurture more world-class talent and innovative teams through high-caliber research platforms and collaborative initiatives.
ITIB Secretary Prof. Sun Dong stated: “The HKSAR Government initiated the restructuring exercise of the State Key Laboratories in Hong Kong in late 2023, and MOST approved the restructuring of 15 SKLs in Hong Kong in January 2025. We hope the SKLs will closely align with the country’s major strategic needs, focus on the global technology frontier, and significantly enhance research and development standards. We also hope that they will fully leverage Hong Kong’s advantages as an international city to actively expand global research collaborations, and cultivate and attract top talent from around the world, thus contributing to the technological self-reliance of the country and the development of Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology centre.”
HKUST President Prof. Nancy Ip stated: “HKUST sincerely thanks the Central Government, MOST and the ITIB for their great trust and endorsement. The University has not only completed the restructuring of its existing State Key Laboratories but has also been granted approval to establish a new one – a strong recognition of HKUST’s research strength. The restructured system offers clearer strategic positioning and a more systematic and comprehensive overall framework. The extension of the State Key Laboratory program and the National Engineering Research Centers to Hong Kong has significantly enhanced collaborative innovation between scientists from the mainland and Hong Kong. This enables Hong Kong to better leverage its distinctive advantages in research and international connectivity to serve national strategic priorities, while also providing a broader platform for its integration into the nation’s science and technology development. HKUST will continue to align with national strategic needs, commit to pioneering scientific research and breakthroughs in core technologies, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, attract top-tier talent globally, and contribute meaningfully to building China into a leading science and technology powerhouse and elevating Hong Kong’s role as an international innovation and technology hub.”
According to arrangements by the Innovation and Technology Commission, each laboratory will receive regular funding support, and the university will provide corresponding matching resources to a sustained focus on national priorities and the execution of long-term, strategic research missions. Each laboratory has developed clear development plans, performance targets and standardized operational and management mechanisms.
HKUST’s three approved laboratories will focus on major national needs, conducting cutting-edge basic research and tackling key technologies:
The State Key Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders (formerly the “State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience” established in 2009), is Hong Kong’s first SKL in molecular neuroscience and the first SKL at HKUST. The laboratory conducts forward-looking fundamental and translational research, with major achievements like blood-based diagnostic technology for Alzheimer’s disease and a whole-brain gene-editing system. The laboratory has secured numerous research grants and cross-institutional collaboration programs. The laboratory successfully completed optimization and restructuring in February 2025. Its new direction after restructuring focuses on the mechanisms of neurological diseases, diagnostic and therapeutic methods, and the development of new technologies, integrating interdisciplinary teams and AI technologies to promote technology transfer and talent cultivation.
The State Key Laboratory of Displays and Opto-Electronics was approved in 2013. It is dedicated to promoting the innovative development of next-generation optoelectronic technologies, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing to meet critical national needs in the related fields. It also facilitates technology transfer to the domestic high-tech industry and fosters exchanges in innovation and technology planning and talent development among the three regions in the Greater Bay Area. The Laboratory was approved to transition into the “State Key Laboratory of Displays and Optoelectronics” in February 2025, with new research areas including perovskite-based optoelectronic materials and devices, organic light-emitting devices, quantum dot-based LEDs (QLEDs) and nanorods, augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR), 3D displays, thin-film transistor-based flexible sensors, organic solar cells, and ultra-wideband semiconductors.
The State Key Laboratory of Climate Resilience for Coastal Cities will be jointly established by HKUST and PolyU in 2025. It will focus on research areas such as extreme weather prediction, urban disaster prevention and mitigation, infrastructure resilience, and early disaster warning systems. The laboratory will fully leverage HKUST’s world-leading Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility, its international research network as well as the University’s strengths in the area and combine it with PolyU’s expertise in engineering and policy management to jointly address the challenges posed by climate change and promote the development of safe, green and sustainable coastal cities.
The newly added laboratory – SKLCRCC – aims to strengthen scientific and technological research on comprehensive urban disaster prevention and mitigation, with the goal of ensuring public safety and urban green development. Related research projects will fully utilize HKUST’s internationally leading geotechnical centrifuge cluster testing platform.
Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem is increasingly mature. Facing the opportunities and challenges of the new era, HKUST will continue to deepen international collaboration and exchanges, jointly serve the broader national development strategy, become an innovation hub attracting top-tier talent from home and abroad, and inject new momentum into the development of the national science and technology endeavor.
https://www.ust.hk/news/hkust-thanks-most-vote-confidence-granting-three-state-key-labs