Press Release

[Hong Kong, 6 October 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has expressed full support to the initiatives of the Chief Executive’s 2021 Policy Address in bolstering the development of innovation and technology (I&T) which will help transform Hong Kong into an international I&T hub and build a bright future.

Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, said: “We are immensely pleased to see that the government continues to actively promote the development of I&T in Hong Kong via diversified policy initiatives, including providing more land and infrastructure, promoting research and development, investing in innovation and technology, accelerating re-industrialisation, as well enriching our talent pool. In addition, collaboration in I&T between Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and other mainland cities will be strengthened. Let us join hands to seize the opportunities of the National 14th Five-Year Plan and contribute to Hong Kong’s development into an international I&T hub.”

Dr Denis Yip, CEO of ASTRI, added: “ASTRI has leveraged cutting-edge technologies in a wide range of areas. We will render our full support to the government to implement the initiatives, which include accelerating the adoption of innovative 5G applications across multiple industries, realising intelligent manufacturing, making use of the Commercial Data Interchange platform developed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) to promote alternative credit scoring, etc., in a view to continuously foster smart city development and enhance quality of life of citizens.”

ASTRI’s core R&D competence in various areas is grouped under five Technology Divisions: Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics; Communications; Cybersecurity, Cryptography and Trusted Technologies; Integrated Circuits and Systems; and IoT and Sensors. It is applied across five cores areas which are Smart City, Financial Technologies, Intelligent Manufacturing, Digital Health, and Application Specific Integrated Circuits.
Over the years, ASTRI has nurtured a pool of research, I&T talents and received numerous international awards for its pioneering innovations as well as outstanding business and community contributions. To date, ASTRI has transferred over 750 technologies to the industries and been granted more than 900 patents in the Mainland, the US, and other countries.

[Hong Kong, 27 September 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) showcases a portfolio of its cutting-edge 5G technologies at the PT Expo China 2021 in Beijing from 27-29 September.

Adopting the theme of “5G Innovation for Digital Future”, ASTRI demonstrates its technologies and innovations that enhance the competitive strength of enterprises in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and around the world.

PT Expo China is the ICT ecosystem’s leading annual event, hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China. It provides an international platform and networking opportunities for the ICT ecosystem in research and development, applications, and market trends. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Innovation lights up Digital Future’ – focusing on emerging technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data, blockchain, XR, quantum computing, and their applications.

Dr Justin Chuang, Vice-President, Communications Technologies at ASTRI, said: “We have been developing 5G and C-V2X technologies since 2015 and continuously collaborating with various industry partners to address market needs. We are happy to showcase the fruits of these efforts. Our latest Easy 5G solution covers 5G O-RAN base station, 5G Core and 5G MEC, and is customisable to support emerging and diverse applications. Our C-V2X solution is already in open road test, aiming to provide real-scenario experiences to support the road map of smart mobility that eventually enables autonomous driving. We look forward to joining hands with more partners and contributing to smart city in China and globally.

ASTRI’s technologies showcased at PT Expo include:

EASY 5G technology solution

It is a cutting-edge end-to-end mobile network technology solution, covering 5G base station, 5G MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) and 5G Core. It is innovative, with commercial-grade and proven quality, strong market potentials and social benefits. It can lower the entry barrier for SMEs to enter 5G market. Easy 5G technologies have been licensed to many customers including quite a few technology giants for commercialisation and contributed to Hong Kong’s 5G rollout.

• 5G O-RAN Solution: ASTRI’s Easy 5G adopts O-RAN (open radio access network) base station design — an emerging 5G network deployment and business model that enables open, virtualised, and fully interoperable RAN. It supports diversified hardware platforms (ARM/x86/SoC) and allows mobile network operators (MNOs) to mix-and-match RAN equipment components from different suppliers.

• 5G SA Core and UPF: ASTRI’s 5G core network software on Intel platform has demonstrated a world-leading UPF data throughput exceeding 1.3Tbps earlier in 2020. ASTRI’s 5G Core is evolving to support 3GPP Rel. 16/17, including TSN (Time Sensitive Networking) over 5G and 5G-LAN for industrial IoT; network slicing, which enables operators to maximise the return on investment via efficient usage and management of the network resources; and Orchestrator for network autoscaling.
• 5G MEC: ASTRI’s MEC delivers intelligence-enabled services at the network edge with benefits of reducing latency, enabling disruptive vertical services and improving infrastructure’s efficiency.

5G+AI application technologies

Cover from Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X), smart city neuron platform to visual positioning technologies for emerging applications such as Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV). Combining with 5G high bandwidth, ultra-low latency and massive IoT capabilities, these technologies provide new and innovative applications:

• 5G C-V2X for Smart Mobility: C-V2X is the future of transport. ASTRI’s C-V2X network solution is in Open Road Test now, which symbolises a milestone in Hong Kong’s Smart Mobility. Together with 5G technologies, C-V2X solution will enable effective, accurate and faster information sharing that improves road safety and traffic efficiency and pave a way towards future development of autonomous vehicle.
• Neuron Platform for Smart City: ASTRI’s Neuron Platform is a 5G-based ICT software platform for smart city that enables a framework of data collection, processing, and sharing to accelerate the adaptation of smart city development. The platform is cloud-based and can be deployed at network edge and central office. The Platform trial network has been deployed in Hong Kong Science Park.

• 5G AGV solution for Industrial IoT: ASTRI develops a new semantics visual SLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping) technology — a method used for autonomous vehicles that lets drivers build a map and localise their vehicles in that map at the same time. The developed solution integrates machine learning and AI to enable a smarter and simpler indoor/outdoor navigation for AGV.

• Perception and High Precision Positioning Technology: The technology is based on single camera with innovative camera calibration technology that provides low-cost, low-latency and high precision positioning services such as C-V2X, Autonomous Driving, and Smart City. ASTRI’s technology is field verified and used by our partners in mass-production.

For more information, please visit ASTRI’s booth E2756 during the exhibition.

ASTRI showcases a portfolio of its cutting-edge 5G technologies at the PT Expo China 2021 in Beijing.

[Hong Kong, 24 June 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) expresses its warmest congratulations to its partner, China Chippacking Technology Co., Ltd, which was successfully listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange today and will trade under the ticker symbol 688216.SH. Mr Liang Dazhong, Chairman and Managing Director of the Board at China Chippacking Technology, and his delegation, performed a bell-ringing ceremony on 23 June, 2021. As a strategic partner of Chippacking Technology, ASTRI was invited to the listing reciprocal banquet and Ms Tina Yang, ASTRI’s Director of Mainland Strategy and Operations was in attendance.

ASTRI and Chippacking Technology have been partners for many years. Chippacking Technology focuses on providing customers with competitive packaging and testing products, while ASTRI’s Integrated Circuits and Systems (ICS) Technology Division is committed to researching and developing advanced packaging technologies. The parties have jointly developed many advanced packaging technologies and products, as a result improving product performance and reducing packaging and testing costs. Joint projects by the two parties have been developed and mass-produced on the three-dimensional packaging pilot line located in the Hong Kong Science Park. They were also the first mass production projects completed by the local advanced packaging pilot line in Hong Kong.

Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer at ASTRI and Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer, congratulated Chippacking Technology on its successful listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Dr Hui said: “We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to Chippacking Technology. We hope Chippacking Technology and ASTRI will continue to develop more innovation and technology projects in the future, contributing to growth of the sector and the Greater Bay Area.”

Dr Szeto said: “ASTRI is committed to developing market-oriented and competitive solutions. We are delighted to witness Chippacking Technology’s successful listing. We hope ASTRI will help our partners create more value in future.”

Mr Liang Dazhong said: “Chippacking Technology has been collaborating with ASTRI in developing BGA and Flip-chip packaging technologies since 2014. We have laid a strong foundation but there is plenty of room for further cooperation. We are most grateful to ASTRI for its relentless support, and we look forward to continuing the strong collaboration to create more remarkable achievements.”

Chairman and Managing Director of Chippacking Technology’s board Mr Liang Dazhong delivers a speech at the listing ceremony before ringing the bell.

ASTRI Director of Mainland Strategy and Operations Ms Tina Yang (left), congratulates Mr Liang Dazhong (right), Chairman and Managing Director of Chippacking Technology’s board, and his wife at a reciprocal banquet to celebrate the company’s listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

[Hong Kong, 27 May 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has adopted blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to create the “Next Generation Cold Food Import Safety Management Platform” to digitise and enhance the monitoring and control of the import of frozen or chilled meat from Mainland China.

The Next Generation Cold Food Import Safety Management Platform stores all import documents and container temperature data on the blockchain. Those who have been granted access rights, including farms, processing plants, importers and exporters, and approval units, will share the same documents and data to ensure consistency. Trucks will use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to record their driving routes and use an advanced electronic lock and thermometer to monitor the status of the container door and the temperature inside, uploading it to the system platform and storing on the blockchain in real time.

Dr Lucas Hui, ASTRI’s Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer, said, “ASTRI has always been committed to using advanced scientific research to assist the government and the industrial and commercial sector in addressing problems and optimising operations, thereby improving the quality of life for our citizens. With the Next Generation Cold Food Import Safety Management Platform, we can assist importers and relevant government departments in more efficiently processing food import applications.”

Mr Ricky Leung, senior manager of cybersecurity, cryptography and trusted technologies at ASTRI, and the project coordinator, said, “Our goal is to deploy blockchain and IoT technologies to ensure that the entire process of transporting and storing chilled and frozen food is efficient and hygienic, and to facilitate food traceability. If a food safety incident occurs, we will be able to trace where the problem food comes from and where it goes.”

ASTRI, with the support from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and a meat importer, has conducted system trials on the routes between a meat processing plant on the Mainland and the Man Kam To Control Point. Two phases of the trials were successfully completed in February and March 2021. ASTRI will optimise the platform, and share the trial results with the relevant departments on the Mainland and in Hong Kong, anticipating further discussions on the development of the platform.

ASTRI’s Ricky Leung with the Next Generation Cold Food Import Safety Management Platform, which enables users to control the electronic lock (middle) through the mobile app (left). Truck drivers can make use of the tablet (right) to access information, such as temperature and location of the container, in real time.

(30 March 2021) The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) successfully launched one of the world’s largest cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) public road tests in Hong Kong today, to study and test the technology’s application scenarios on the roads of Hong Kong, as well as the network and infrastructure required for the application. Covering a 14km route from Hong Kong Science Park to Sha Tin town centre, ASTRI’s C-V2X public road test will last about nine months.

The launch is the start of a new journey in the development of Hong Kong as a Smart City, laying an important foundation in Smart Mobility, an enhancement in road safety and efficiency, as well as the next steps towards the future development of autonomous vehicles.

ASTRI is an active participant in all aspects of the HK SAR Government’s Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint 2.0, published last December, as well as its earlier iteration in December 2017. With the support of the Innovation and Technology Commission and Transport Department, ASTRI has been taking the initiative to promote Smart Mobility through its C-V2X related projects.

ASTRI’s C-V2X system makes real-time communication possible between vehicles and pedestrians, road-side infrastructure, networks and other vehicles. Information and warnings can be generated instantly to enhance road safety and assist driving. C-V2X technology can also be applied to real-time traffic monitoring, incident management, and route planning to improve efficiency. In the longer term, C-V2X paves the way for the development of autonomous driving technology, by assisting in detecting hidden dangers and improving road safety.

Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, said: “ASTRI’s C-V2X technology fully complements Smart Mobility in the ‘Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint 2.0’ promulgated by the HKSAR Government and the different aspects in Smart Mobility Roadmap for Hong Kong to help enhance road safety and efficiency. We believe that C-V2X will create a new Smart Mobility Eco-System and new business opportunities for Hong Kong in the long term. More importantly, it will provide a safer, more convenient and efficient Smart Mobility experience for people in Hong Kong .”

Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, said: “The C-V2X public road test starting today marks an important cornerstone for the development of Smart Mobility and Hong Kong as a Smart City. Traffic jams and accidents are the Achilles’ heels of Hong Kong’s transport network. With our C-V2X technology, we believe these issues can be addressed effectively, improving the safety and efficiency of our roads while laying a strong foundation for the development of autonomous driving and C-V2X assisted autonomous driving in Hong Kong.”

Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, said: “The Transport Department has specified clearly in the Smart Mobility Roadmap for Hong Kong that C-V2X and autonomous driving are two of the important components in the development of future car technology. Apart from enhancing road safety, C-V2X can also be applied to other aspects of Smart Mobility. One of the most important aspects is to support and assist autonomous vehicles. In the future, C-V2X can be a key infrastructure that assists autonomous vehicles and solves the safe concerns raised when autonomous vehicles and manual vehicles share roads.”

The launch ceremony was attended by Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner for Transport, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, Dr Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, and partners who have contributed to the project.

The officiating guests were invited to take a ride in the test vehicle to personally experience the advantages that C-V2X will bring, including safer, more reliable and convenient journeys for road users.

The following examples, which were showcased on 30 March, are some of the many applications of C-V2X:

【Case 1: Pedestrian Warning】“Pedestrian Warning” can help prevent accidents when the driver’s sight is blocked by notifying the driver of pedestrians crossing the road.

【Case 2: Roundabout Warning】A vehicle can get into another vehicle’s blind spot easily on a roundabout. “Roundabout Warning” can help prevent accidents by predicting the running paths of relevant vehicles and generate an alarm if a collision is going to occur.

【Case 3: Front Collision Warning】“Front Collision Warning” can help prevent collision by alerting the rear vehicle immediately when the front vehicle reduces speed or brakes abruptly.

【Case 4: Blind Spot and Lane Change Warning】An accident may occur if the front vehicle changes lanes when the rear vehicle is in the front vehicle’s blind spot. “Blind Spot and Lane Change Warning” can help prevent accidents by notifying the front vehicle promptly.

【Case 5: Speed Alert】The driver may violate traffic rules or cause danger if he/she does not notice the speed limit on a road. “Speed Alert” can help prevent the situation by notifying the driver of the road’s speed limit.

【Case 6: Traffic Light Info】The driver may not be able to see traffic lights when there is a long queue or a large vehicle ahead. “Traffic Light Info” can show the sequence of the lights in real time to the vehicle through reliable communication provided by the C-V2X network.

【Case 7: Congestion / Traffic Control Warning】“Congestion / Traffic Control Warning” can notify the vehicle of congestion ahead, allowing the vehicle to choose another route beforehand and avoid going into the congested area.

【Case 8: Intersection Warning】“Intersection Warning” can help prevent accidents by predicting the running path of the vehicle and alert the vehicle when it is near an intersection.

【Case 9: Emergency Stop Warning】“Emergency Stop Warning” can help prevent accidents by notifying other vehicles of the situation of abnormally stopped vehicles on the road.

【Case 10: Roadworks Alert】“Roadworks Alert” can notify the vehicle when there is a roadwork area ahead.

For further information about ASTRI C-V2X, please visit www.astri.org/smart-mobility.

 

The C-V2X public road test launch ceremony is officiated by Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI.

(From left) Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, and Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department join the C-V2X public road test launch ceremony.

(From left) Dr Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department, and Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, join the group photo.

(Back row from left) Dr Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, and Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI.

(Front row from left) Mr Michael Lam, General Manager of QTC Traffic Technology Limited, Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science Park, Ms Venessa Wong, Director of Business Development of Scania China, Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department, Mr Peter Lam, Managing Director of HKT Engineering, Mr Rex Wong, JP, Chief Executive Officer of Kum Shing Holdings, and Mr Andy Ng, Project Manager of Shun Hing Group, join the C-V2X public road test launch ceremony.

(From left) Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, presented the first passenger certificate to Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology and Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department.

(From left) Dr. Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department, and Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, join the group photo in front of the C-V2X test vehicle.

(From left) Dr Justin Chuang, Vice President (Communications Technologies) of ASTRI, Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, and Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, Mr Michael Lam, General Manager of QTC Traffic Technology Limited, Mr Albert Wong, Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Science Park, Ms Venessa Wong, Director of Business Development of Scania China, Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ir Sunny Lee, JP, Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Michael Law, Assistant Commissioner of Transport Department, Mr Peter Lam, Managing Director of HKT Engineering, Mr Rex Wong, JP, Chief Executive Officer of Kum Shing Holdings, and Mr Andy Ng, Project Manager of Shun Hing Group, and Dr. Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI, join the group photo before C-V2X public road test commence.

 

[Hong Kong, 23 March 2021] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has hosted a Smart City Forum in which government, business and thought leaders shared their views on the essential collaboration for a smart city and what a “tech-backed” sustainable future looks like for Hong Kong as the territory is moving full steam ahead on its journey to become a world famed Smart City.

The event was opened by the Honourable Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit Wing-hang, following the welcome remarks from ASTRI Chairman Ir Sunny Lee Wai-kwong.

“Developing Hong Kong into a smart city is undoubtedly an important commitment of the Government. However, the full participation of the private sector, academia and research institutes is also of paramount importance to help us move towards this goal. I am glad to learn that many of the technologies developed by ASTRI could play a part in our smart city development in various aspects.”, said Mr Alfred Sit.

Ir Sunny Lee said, “ASTRI is fully aligned to our Government’s clear commitment to Hong Kong’s technological development. Smart City stands alongside FinTech, Intelligent Manufacturing, Health Tech and Application Specific Integrated Circuits, as one of ASTRI’s core areas of expertise and focus. We understand a Smart City needs Smart People and therefore our numerous talent development initiatives are focused on ensuring the next generation is able to keep up with the pace of innovation.”

On the first panel titled ‘The Essential Collaboration for a Smart City,’ panelists discussed how we could achieve our best results by not only working together, but also finding the balance between healthy and stimulating competition and cross-sector collaboration. On the second panel titled ‘What Does a Tech-backed Sustainable Future Look Like?’, speakers discussed various aspects of a smart city from talent development, gerontech and healthtech to fintech, blockchain, artificial intelligence and how these technological applications will impact Hong Kong as a smart economy in particular on small and medium sized businesses.

ASTRI’s Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer Dr Martin Szeto, who featured on the second panel and delivered the event’s closing remarks, said, “The HKSAR Government has made innovation and technology a key pillar of its framework to ensure Hong Kong develops into a world famed Smart City characterised by a strong economy and high quality of living. We believe ASTRI, with our award-winning innovations and talented researchers, is uniquely positioned to support the government and deliver against this vision.”

Dr Lucas Hui, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer at ASTRI, provided an overview of ASTRI during the event, said, “ASTRI is committed to contributing to Hong Kong’s future as a Smart City, whether that is through our technological innovations in the various initiatives under the six smart areas, or leveraging on our thought leadership position in promoting and exploring how innovation and technology can bring a positive impact to our society and build a sustainable and efficient future for Hong Kong.”

The event was held in the Asia Society Hong Kong and live-streamed to an audience online.

ENDS

Captions：

Photo_01: Mr Alfred Sit Wing-hang, Honourable Secretary for Innovation and Technology, delivers a speech at ASTRI’s Smart City Forum, saying he is glad to hear how ASTRI technologies can play a part in Hong Kong’s smart city development.

Photo_02: (From left) Dr Lucas Hui, ASTRI Acting Co-CEO cum CTO; Ir Sunny Lee, ASTRI Chairman; Honourable Secretary for Innovation and Technology Mr Alfred Sit; Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; and Dr Martin Szeto, ASTRI Acting Co-CEO cum COO kick off ASTRI’s Smart City Forum.

Photo_03: (From left) Mr Duncan Chiu, President of Hong Kong Information Technology Joint Council; Dr Lam Ching-choi, Member of the Executive Council; and Dr Martin Szeto, Acting Co-CEO cum COO of ASTRI, take part in the second panel discussion, ‘What Does A Tech-Backed Sustainable Future Look Like?’ at ASTRI’s Smart City Forum.

The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The Faculty of Engineering of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) today (2 March) on implementing a Smart City Technology Oriented Practitioner (TOP) programme for up to 30 master students in the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK. ASTRI will provide paid full-time employment opportunities to enrolled students for a period of four to eight months and engage them in one of the ASTRI’s ongoing smart city-related projects, with a view to developing future leaders for smart city transformation.

Witnessed by Ms. Rebecca Pun Ting-ting, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, Dr. Lucas Hui Chi-kwong, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI and Professor Martin D.F. Wong, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK signed the MoU on behalf of the two parties.

The TOP programme supports the recently released initiative by the HKSAR Government, Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong 2.0 which strives to build Hong Kong into a world-class smart city.

Dr. Lucas Hui Chi-kwong said, “Developing scientific talent in Hong Kong is one of ASTRI’s goals. We are pleased to cooperate with CUHK to equip the new generation with scientific research talents to excel in all areas of smart cities.”

Dr. Martin Szeto Sin-ho, Acting Co-CEO cum Chief Operating Officer of ASTRI, said, “This practitioner programme for technology professionals is supporting the initiatives to develop ‘smart people’ as indicated in the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong, with the purpose of cultivating more human capital to promote technological development.”

Professor Martin D.F. Wong remarked, “This is a strategic partnership which connects our CUHK Engineering Faculty and students with ASTRI, a leading applied research institute in Hong Kong, through a work-study programme which enables our participation in state-of-the-art research and development that drives Hong Kong’s smart city initiative. I am confident and excited that the CUHK-ASTRI partnership will be pivotal in realising the vision for a smart city as laid out in the blueprint.”

The programme welcomes applications from students enrolled in master’s degree programmes under the Faculty of Engineering of CUHK in the academic year of 2021/22. After interview, a maximum of 30 students will serve as paid full-time research assistants in ASTRI, starting from the first quarter of 2022. They will be involved in smart city related projects and solving “pain points” for various organisations through research and development of applied technology, facilitating operations in a more intelligent and efficient way and benefiting people and business in our society.

ASTRI has formulated technological solutions for various government departments, public institutions and enterprises over the years with the adoption of international and industry standards throughout the process, while fully considering public policies, legal requirements, and stakeholders’ needs and concerns. The abilities and achievements of the professionals are affirmed by ASTRI partners and employers in the Research and Development sector. Students participating in the TOP programme will gain valuable work experience and lay a solid foundation for future employment in innovation and technology as well as the smart city industry.

The CUHK Engineering Faculty has now evolved into an integrated engineering school. Its strength lies in its world-class position with high quality research facilities and a strong commitment to the latest application of modern technology. The Faculty prides itself as one of the pioneers in the research on artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning. It has received top awards in international challenges for face recognition and visual recognition. The CUHK Multimedia Laboratory, named as one of the pioneers in AI research, is the only institution in Asia receiving this recognition. Different research and teaching teams at the Faculty of Engineering are dedicated to the applications of AI and deep learning in various areas and the education of talented engineers for smart city development.