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The BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize 2024 (STIP 2024), organized by the Hong Kong Alliance of Technology and Innovation and sponsored by Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, was held on December 16 2024 at the Hopewell Hotel in Wan Chai. The ceremony was graced by distinguished guests, including the Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, Paul CHAN Mo-po; Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong SAR, FANG Jianming; Deputy Director-General of the Educational, Scientific & Technological Affairs Department of the Central People’s Government Liaison Office in the Hong Kong SAR, WU Cheng; Deputy Chief Executive of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, XING Guiwei, and President of the Hong Kong Alliance of Technology And Innovation, Dennis LO Yuk-Ming. Over 150 representatives from Government, Research, Academic, and Industry sectors were invited to witness the technological innovations of the awardees.

This year, the STIP has extended its nomination scope to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the first time, rewarding outstanding scientists and research teams from Hong Kong institutions and related research institutions located in the Greater Bay Area, thereby promoting technological innovation development in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. The nomination period, which commenced in July this year concluded with rigorous evaluations by experts across various fields. The distinguished award recipients are: Professor CHAI Yang in the field of "Artificial Intelligence and Robotics," Professor NG Siew Chien in "Life and Health," Professor ZHANG Hua in "New Materials and New Energy," Professor CHEN Shih-Chi in "Advanced Manufacturing," and Professor WANG Cong in "FinTech."

President of the Hong Kong Alliance of Technology and Innovation, Professor Dennis LO, delivers the welcome speech

In Professor Dennis LO’s welcome speech, he stated that with the national and HKSAR governments working together to accelerate the construction of Hong Kong as an international innovation and technology centre, the Hetao area in Hong Kong will become a significant cooperation platform for the Greater Bay Area. Among the 59 enterprises that have signed MOUs with the HSITPL, there are also laureates of this year's STIP. He believes this reflects the extraordinary strength of the awardees and confirms the purpose of establishing the STIP across five major fields: “Innovation in Hong Kong, Contribute to the Nation,” leveraging Hong Kong's strengths to meet national needs. Professor LO continued to point out that this year's awards have extended the nomination scope to research institutions of Hong Kong universities located in the Greater Bay Area. This move aims to respond to the increasingly close collaboration among universities, research institutes, and technology enterprises in Hong Kong and the Mainland. This initiative is hoped to create new opportunities for research cooperation between the two regions, promote the two-way flow of talent and technology, and achieve a synergistic effect.

Financial Secretary of the Government of the HKSAR, Paul CHAN Mo-po, delivers a speech

Mr. XING Guiwei, Deputy Chief Executive of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, delivers a speech

Mr. XING Guiwei expressed that, “we are greatly honored to support the STIP as part of our commitment to fostering Hong Kong’s position as a global hub for technological talent. Through this initiative, we aim to contribute to the development of new quality productive forces and the cultivation of talent from both local and international arenas. The outstanding research achievements of the laureates in the five fields this year are believed to form a vivid example of the development of new quality productive forces in Hong Kong, characterized by "high-end technology, high efficiency, as well as high quality", making significant contributions to the transformation of Hong Kong's technological achievements and future industrial development. In the future, Bank of China (Hong Kong) will continue to actively embrace new technologies and new concepts, commit to promoting digital transformation, drive high-quality social development through innovative technologies, and helping Hong Kong build an open and innovative ecosystem with global competitiveness, and develop Hong Kong into an International Innovation and Technology Centre.”

Group photo of the officiating guests at the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize 2024 award ceremony

About the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize

The BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize, driven by the mission of rejuvenating Hong Kong and the country through Innovation and Technology development, encourages researchers and innovators to aim at the forefront of world science and technology, to meet the country's major strategic needs, to impact economic and social development, and to improve people's livelihoods.

The "BOCHK SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION PRIZE", launched in 2022 and now in its third year, has extended the nomination scope to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the first time, rewarding outstanding scientists and research teams for their significant achievements in scientific and technological innovation and transformation in Hong Kong or research institutions of Hong Kong institutions located in the Greater Bay Area. The Prize aims to encourage these innovators to get a foothold in Hong Kong, connect with the Greater Bay Area, serve the Nation, and contribute to the world.

You may download the selected event photos via this link: https://bit.ly/BOCHKSTIP2024

For more information about the BOCHK Science and Technology Innovation Prize 2024 and this year's awardees, please refer to the attached document or visit the official website: www.stip.hk

Attachment: The introduction of the STIP 2024 Laureates

Five Key Features of the STIP

• Leverage Hong Kong's Advantages to Meet Country's Needs
• Led by Scientists and Industry Leaders
• Value the Application of Scientific & Technological Achievements
• Welcome Nominations from the General Public
• Award No-Strings-Attached 2,000,000 HKD

STIP Laureates 2024

• Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

Prof. CHAI Yang from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University — For his contributions to AI sensor technology, particularly in the development of disruptive in-sensor computing paradigms for artificial vision sensors, which enable information processing directly within the sensors. This innovation minimizes the need for frequent data transfers to external computing units, enhances computational efficiency, and enriches sensor functionalities for Internet of Things applications.

• Life and Health

Prof. NG Siew Chien from the Chinese University of Hong Kong — For her disruptive discoveries of novel microbial signatures in inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and autism spectrum disorders and transforming such signatures into clinically applicable non-invasive tests for early diagnosis and timely intervention.

• New Materials and New Energy

Prof. ZHANG Hua from the City University of Hong Kong — For his pioneering development and contributions to the field of phase engineering of nanomaterials, he has successfully prepared and stabilized unconventional-phase nanomaterials, explored their unique physicochemical properties and applications in clean energy, catalysis and sensors, and in particular promoted the design and development of novel and highly efficient catalysts.

• Advanced Manufacturing

Prof. CHEN Shih-Chi from the Chinese University of Hong Kong — For his groundbreaking developments to the field of 3D micro- and nanofabrication, successfully integrating novel manipulation of ultrafast laser pulses with material and precision machine development to achieve low-cost nanoscale 3D printing, which has brought tremendous benefits to the manufacturing of components and devices in the fields of photonics, nanotechnology, and biotechnology.

• FinTech

Prof. WANG Cong from the City University of Hong Kong — For his outstanding contributions in developing innovative data and AI security technologies that safeguard private data in use while unlocking the vast potential of data value in FinTech ecosystems.