The Hong Kong Prize and HKUST Teams Win Prizes at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva
The Hong Kong Prize scholarship contest celebrates the academic achievements, extracurricular activities and extraordinary talents of its participants. It is one of Asia’s most competitive awards ceremonies with thousands of applicants yearly. Its winners are celebrated at a ceremony where they receive shopping vouchers and F&B benefits. The scholarship also helps students pursue their passions and expand their perspectives.
The HK Prize is sponsored by the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited and hosted by the Academy. The award aims to reward excellence in research conducted by young Fellows of the Academy and to encourage them to continue their scientific journey with Hong Kong as their platform.
The winners are announced in the presence of a distinguished panel of judges. The winners are selected based on the quality of their papers and their contributions to advancing Hong Kong’s knowledge economy, enhancing global connections, fostering multilateralism and promoting peace, as well as their commitment to Hong Kong values. The finalists are also expected to play an active role in Hong Kong’s development, serving as ambassadors of the city and its people.
This year’s shortlisted candidates include the founder of an NGO that shelters homeless adults, a professor credited with developing liquid biopsy technology that quickly detects cancer, and many brave individuals who have risked their lives to advance freedom for others. The prize honours Hong Kong’s unwavering spirit of selflessness and compassion.
HKUST is proud to see a record number of teams winning prizes at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva this year. Among them is a project on therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease that won the Prize of the Chinese Delegation and Gold Medal with congratulations from the jury. The team’s research findings have the potential to open new possibilities for AD treatment, which would be simpler and less invasive than current therapies.
Moreover, a team from HKUST won the Gold Prize of the Korean Delegation for its invention that can reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by 80% by using a non-invasive and low-cost method. The research also opens up the possibility of other infectious diseases, including influenza and Ebola.
A team from HKUST also won the Bronze Prize of the Malaysian Delegation for its innovative research into a smart and safe way to evacuate patients from hospitals, which could reduce medical evacuations and improve patient safety. This solution has the potential to be widely applied in the future, especially when dealing with natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has expressed strong disapproval and firm opposition to the ministries of foreign affairs of France and Germany for conferring a prize on Chow Hang-tung, who has been charged with offences under the Hong Kong National Security Law. It will not tolerate any attempt by foreign governments to undermine the dignity of our country and people, and will continue to support the efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to promote a culture of peace, tolerance and mutual respect.