Collaborations
One of the hallmarks of HKUST is to set our expertise to work alongside others, whether with other institutions of higher learning or with enterprises in the community. Several notable moves occurred in 2003-04 to extend this.

To support findings emerging from the Report of the UGC on Higher Education in Hong Kong (the Sutherland Report), particularly with regard to creating institutions capable of competing at the highest international levels, HKUST, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong agreed to work together to develop greater cooperation and deeper collaboration.

In January, the heads of the three universities signed a Framework for Partnership and appointed a committee to identify and develop specific programs where deep collaboration could advance objectives. Initial collaborative opportunities identified included research, postgraduate coursework and joint undergraduate programs between universities and the promotion of technology transfer.

The recommendation of the UGC Institutional Integration Working Party that the UGC should facilitate and encourage deep collaboration was announced in March. This was welcomed by the University. A further move towards local university alliances was made in May when HKUST and the University of Hong Kong's business schools announced they would establish a working group to explore the idea of developing a world-class business education brand for Hong Kong.

One example of the positive nature of such local collaborations is already underway, with HKUST, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong working together on the International HapMap project. HapMap aims to discover individual differences in susceptibility to disease, to help doctors diagnose problems and assist the design of smart drugs tailored to a person's genes. Over 20 top institutions around the world are involved in the project.

On a national level, the University's Survey Research Center and the Sociology Department of the People's University of China worked together on the China General Social Survey project, the first of its kind in the Mainland to systematically monitor and explain the changing relationship between social structure and quality of life in urban and rural China. In December, HKUST signed an agreement with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to boost collaboration in information technology research and postgraduate student training.

Outside the academic community, we have also been working hard to speed development through partnerships in a range of areas.

The rapid rise of HKUST as a leader in nanoscience and technology was acknowledged in September with the inauguration of the Institute of NanoMaterials and NanoTechnology. This is one of the largest university-government-industry collaborations in Hong Kong. Its four-year budget of HK$101.6 million includes HK$89.8 million from the ITF and HK$11.8 million from industry. One of its important tasks will be the development of international collaborations as Hong Kong seeks to become a global hub for nano-innovation and manufacturing.

In December, CK Life Sciences Int'l Holdings Inc and HKUST announced a joint research initiative to study groundbreaking anti-tumor products for breast and prostate cancer, and to establish the first pharmacogenomic and pharmacogenetic database for the Chinese population.

On the security front, the Cyberspace Center developed an advanced Password Cracking System to assist the Hong Kong Police Force in crime investigations. This helps to recover the password used to encrypt a computer file and is expected to become an important forensic tool.