event special 5CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, June 7, 2017

T hemed “Powering Universities’ Economic and Social Impact through Innovative Research and Teaching”, the Summit engaged participants in a series of thought-provoking panel discussions on the best practices and case studies to empower

universities’ economic and social impact through innovative research and teaching for the benefit of the society and mankind.

The Summit, as a key celebratory event of PolyU’s 80th anniver-sary, also featured inspiring keynote speeches from pioneers in world-renowned organisations or enterprises in the innovation and technology sector.

Innovation at the core of strategyIn welcoming all delegates, Professor Timothy W. Tong, President of

PolyU, said “I am pleased to note that PolyU has recently been identi-fied by THE as one of the ‘up-and-coming international powerhouses’ or ‘technology challengers’ which have innovation at the core of their strategy, strong industry links and research that excels in the technologi-cal areas. PolyU looks forward to joining hands with more powerhouses of knowledge around the world to empower universities’ economic and social impact, shaping a better future for all.”

The Summit was inaugurated by the keynote address of high-profile technology entrepreneur and philanthropist Mr Chales Chen Yidan, a core founder of Tencent Holdings Limited, and the founder of Yidan Prize, which offers research projects huge awards to enhance global edu-cation. Mr Chen offered his insights into “leveraging innovation for scal-able changes in education around the world” to the Summit participants.

Also addressing the Summit participants in the welcoming session were The Hon. Nicholas Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; and Mr Phil Baty, Editorial Director, Global Rankings, THE.

Turning ideas into impactThroughout the two-day programme, influential higher education

figures inspired each other on how to translate research into business and turn ideas into impact. They included leaders of renowned insti-tutions from Hong Kong and countries including Australia, Finland, France, India, Israel, Japan, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, etc.

In a panel discussion entitled “Models of strategic leadership: turning ideas into impact”, Ir Professor Alexander Wai, Vice President (Research Development) of PolyU shared the University’s inter-disciplinary approach in pursuing new knowledge and collaboration with top indus-try partners to help address societal needs.

“Taking research from the laboratory into the real world for the latter’s advancement, PolyU has been building an international reputation with its ground-breaking and impactful research achievements in strategic areas of aviation, space, railway, sustainable development, food safety, and personalised healthcare.”

Measuring a university’s economic and societal impactIn an era in which universities play an expanding role in achieving

social progress, the Summit also discussed the development of new metrics to calculate a university’s societal impact as well as how these impact and innovation may be recognised in future versions of the world university rankings.

On sharing the experiences in creating societal impact, Professor Angelina Yuen, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs) of PolyU talked about how PolyU instills in young people the values of responsible citizens and brings positive changes to local and overseas communities through the introduction of mandatory Service-Learning programme. The floor was then thrown into a heated voting and discussion session on the indicators used for future impact rankings, in which “social responsibility” gained high number of votes among other indicators such as “teaching”, “research”, and “collaboration”.

Other world-class innovators and entrepreneurs delivering keynote addresses include: Dr Hermann Hauser, co-founder of Amadeus Capital Partners; Dr Candace Johnson, founder/co-founder SES, Loral-Teleport Europe, Europe Online, VATM, GTWN, OWNSAT, Succès Europe; Mr Henry Lane Fox, co-founder & CEO, Founders Factory; and Mr Greg Simon, former executive director, White House Cancer Moonshot Task Force.

Participants gained insights into how universities innovate to address the grand challenges and breed new ideas. Professor Tong concluded the Summit by expressing warmest thanks to THE, innovators and leaders around the world for their insightful sharing and exchanges of thoughts on how to innovate for a better world.

More than 200 influential higher education and industry leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and policy-makers from 34 countries gathered in Hong Kong between 31 May and 2 June 2017 to participate in the inaugural Times Higher Education (THE) Innovation & Impact Summit, co-hosted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and THE.

The Summit commenced on 31 May with the PolyU Showcase, highlighting four areas of the University’s innovations that have been impacting economy and society, solving problems, creating hopes and benefitting mankind.

THE and PolyU co-host Innovation & Impact SummitPowering Universities’ Economic and Social Impact through

Innovative Research and Teaching

Making impact for greater good

Universities are sources of discoveries; the key is how to turn research achievement and teaching innovation into meaningful societal impact. PolyU, as a hub of knowledge creation and a cradle of professional talents, is keen to take the lead and contribute fully to innovate to address the imminent challenges posed by increasingly complex world issues.

Professor Timothy W. TongPresident

Capitalising on our strength in cross-disciplinary research, we are making dedicated efforts in forging meaningful partnerships for collaborative projects. A paragon of industry-academia collaboration, the establishment of Aviation Services Research Centre with The Boeing Company has successfully developed new automation technologies for aircraft maintenance, consolidating Hong Kong’s position as an aircraft maintenance hub.

Ir Professor Alexander Wai Vice President (Research Development)

In knowledge-based societies, universities play an expanding role in achieving social progress. Despite the challenges involved in articulating the social and economic impact of universities, PolyU is proud to be at the forefront of a conversation on envisioning ways to evaluate universities according to their meaningful contributions to society.

Professor Angelina Yuen Vice President (Student and Global Affairs)

Space, aviation and railway

PolyU’s optical fibre sensing technology is the first in the world that deploys fibre-optic sensors in both passenger trains and tracks for cross-monitoring, greatly enhancing operational and maintenance effi-ciency. This most effective mode of maintenance has recently been adopted in two of the busiest metro lines in Singapore.

A pioneer in advancing 3D printing technology on healthcare, PolyU has partnered with the Queen Eliza-beth Hospital to develop a 3D printed Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Simulation Model. It can produce patient-specific 3D-printed blood vessel and aortic valves, with fluid flow and temperature to mimic human circulation. This enables doctors to perform repetitive trials of the procedure prior to the actual surgery, thereby enhancing clinical skills development and patient safety.

Sustainable urban development

The life-cycle monitoring of mega-structure safety is crucial to sustainable urban development. In view of this, PolyU experts and engineers have developed a comprehensive structural health monitoring system to perform health checks throughout the lifespan of buildings and structures, including the Jiangyin bridge in Jiangsu, China, with a main span of 1,385m.

To help cut air-conditioning expenses, the Univer-sity has developed the Intelligent Building Life-Cycle Diagnosis and Optimisation Technology that can be implemented at various stages in a building’s life-cycle to effectively diagnose and optimise the central air-conditioning and control systems and, hence, reduce energy consumption.

Human-centered innovation

Human-centered innovation is fast becoming one of the most effective ways to improve people’s lives. The ergonomics lab of PolyU has developed the first-ever digital database of Asian head and face sizes for extensive use by designers and manufacturers in the design, engineering and fashion industries, among others. Designers can now make consumer products that properly fit Asian body sizes and international brands can develop Asian-fit products for this boom-ing market.

The PolyU-developed Scolioscan is a radiation-free system for accurately screening and monitoring sco-liosis of the spine. Using 3D ultrasound imaging tech-niques, the device can be used as often as needed to monitor treatment progress, with measurement results comparable to those of conventional assessments, but without the radiation hazard.

Hospitality

With the opening of its teaching and research hotel, Hotel ICON, PolyU’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) undertakes a fully integrated approach to education, capitalising on the benefits of offering real-world, problem-based learning oppor-tunities.

A three-pronged approach is the key to SHTM’s teaching innovation. Firstly, the school has a “targeted and diversified curriculum” taught through practical training, simulations and role play. The second is the internship programme, i.e. a six-month or part-time placement at Hotel ICON. And thirdly, SHTM has a focus on research and innovation. At Hotel ICON, there are three dedicated ‘Tomorrow’s Guestrooms’ for students and even other PolyU departments to develop and try out new concepts.