image: Mr Patrick NIP Tak-kuen, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs (centre); Mr CHAN Tze-ching, PolyU Council Chairman (right); and Professor XI Guang, XJTU Vice President (left), officiate at the launching ceremony of PolyU-XJTU "Silk Road International School of Engineering". view more
Credit: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
The Silk Road International School of Engineering (SRISE) jointly set up by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) is to launch its first university-industry collaboration project. Partnering with The Hongkong Electric Company, Limited (HK Electric) and State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid), SRISE is to help nurture high-level talents in power and energy field.
The university-industry project, to be launched in April next year, will provide training workshop for senior managerial executives and researchers of enterprises, government units and higher education institutions involving in electricity and energy operations along the Belt and Road region. The cross-regional, cross-cultural workshop is the first of its kind in both the mainland and Hong Kong.
SRISE staged its university-industry collaboration launching ceremony today (9 November) on PolyU campus to mark the milestone cooperation of the two institutions with enterprises for promoting Belt and Road region developments.
The ceremony was officiated by Mr Patrick NIP Tak-kuen, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Other officiating guests are: Mr CHAN Tze-ching, PolyU Council Chairman; Professor XI Guang, XJTU Vice President; Mr WAN Chi-tin, Managing Director of HK Electric; and Mr LI Ming, Division Director of State Grid.
Addressing the ceremony, Mr CHAN Tze-ching said, "The Belt and Road Initiative is our country's important long-term strategy, which have profound impact on Hong Kong and the world. The HKSAR Government has been actively working together with different stakeholders to make good use of the opportunities. PolyU and XJTU also spare no efforts in leading the trend through jointly setting up the SRISE. In collaboration with renowned local and mainland enterprises, we are confident that we can contribute to the country through leveraging on our complementary strengths to nurture talent, promote research, and assist in the developments of the Belt and Road region."
"In propelling the Belt and Road developments, education plays a pivotal missional role," said Professor XI Guang. "Through our collaboration in various aspects including talent cultivation, scientific research and technology transfer, XJTU and PolyU will duly play our roles in contributing our strengths towards realising the nation's Belt and Road strategies."
SRISE will serve as the collaboration platform for PolyU and XJTU to launch various education and exchanges programmes with global outlook (such as Master of Science in Information Systems, joint guidance by both institutions' scholars for dual doctoral degree candidates), and to conduct high-quality and impactful scientific research joint projects. SRISE will also cope with the developmental needs of the Belt and Road region in drawing up high-level training and knowledge transfer programmes for the related professions and enterprises, and in establishing the related professional accreditation frameworks.
University-Industry Collaboration for nurturing Belt and Road talents
The university-industry collaboration project of SRISE to be launched next April will be its first project partnering with the power and energy enterprises. The move aligns with the advocacy of the Chief Executive's 2017 Policy Address for strengthening communication and cooperation among government, enterprises and professions so as to facilitate the participation of various sectors in Belt and Road projects.
SRISE will partner with HK Electric and State Grid of China Technology College under State Grid to provide a two-week workshop for about 30 participants. The workshop participants will learn practical knowledge and experiences from veteran academics and professionals from the co-organisers, as well as latest international developments in design, technology and management in the power and energy field. They will also have field-trip study of different urban facilities in power systems, such as HK Electric's Lamma Power Station and the power distribution system of a densely populated vertical city of Hong Kong Island, as well as State Grid's power network in different mainland cities.
Mr WAN Chi-tin, Managing Director of HK Electric, said, "HK Electric has been providing safe, reliable and stable power supply for Hong Kong for over 125 years. To cope with the unique mountainous terrain of Hong Kong Island, we have used cable tunnels and underground cables to tremendously enhance and secure the stability of electricity supply. For years, we have been providing a world-class supply reliability of more than 99.999%. We are glad to have the opportunity to share with our industry peers the experiences we have accumulated over the years."
Mr WANG Lixin, Vice President of State Grid of China Technology College, said, "The College is State Grid's base in providing high-quality training and innovative research. It is also a showcase centre for new applied technologies and skills. We are glad that through this university-collaboration project, we can share State Grid's resources and experiences with our counterparts in the Belt and Road regions, and contribute towards global exchange and cooperation."
SRISE will work out the future development for university-industry collaboration based on the experience and feedbacks from implementing the first project. It aims to explore cooperation with more enterprises, organisations and institutions in different spectra for furthering its training and research initiatives, so as to cope with the nation's mid- and long-term strategic plans for the Belt and Road region.
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