Han Ximin

CITY University of Hong Kong (CityU) held a ground-breaking ceremony for its Shenzhen Research Institute Building yesterday, marking another milestone in the development of the university’s base for applied research, professional education and incubation in the city.

The university is the first of four universities from Hong Kong, which were granted a total of 22.6 hectares of land, to start construction.

At the launch ceremony, Chung Hsin-kang, president of CityU, said the R&D building in the high-tech park represents a milestone in the university’s development, a promise to further excel in professional education and applied research and to bring the development of high-tech industries to new heights.

In 2005, CityU was granted 12,500 sqm of land to establish a research base in Shenzhen. Three other Hong Kong universities, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Polytechnic University have also been granted development land.

The 8,100-sqm building, which is located in the Virtual University Park, is scheduled to open in 2008. With an estimated investment of HK$100 million (US$12.82 million) in construction, facilities and equipment, the building will be able to accommodate 2,000 students.

Upon completion, the applied R&D center and eight CityU subsidiary companies in Shenzhen will move into the building and expand their operations.

The university has established three applied research centers in Shenzhen since it joined the Shenzhen Virtual University Park in the year 2000.