HKU and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority sign technical cooperation agreement to promote the development of smart transport system in the Greater Bay Area
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority signed a strategic collaboration agreement and jointly established the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area Transport Construction and Intelligent Maintenance and Safety Operation Engineering Technology Research Centre (Engineering Technology Research Centre) with universities, research institutes and enterprises in the Greater Bay Area, with the aim to deepen collaboration on the operation and maintenance of large-scale transport infrastructure in order to promote technological advances in transport infrastructure.
Transportation is a major catalyst for urban and regional development. Innovative transportation technology will make the operation and maintenance of the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau Greater Bay Area more efficient and convenient for people and freight transport, facilitating the development of the Greater Bay Area.
The opening ceremony of the Engineering Technology Research Centre was held on 16 November 2019 in Zhuhai. HKU Associate Vice-President (Research) Professor Mai Har Sham attended the ceremony together with the interdisciplinary team including Professor Anthony Yeh from the Department of Urban Planning and Design, Professor Francis Au from the Department of Civil Engineering and Dr. Llewellyn Tang from the Department of Real Estate and Construction.
Professor Sham was delighted to see HKU’s close alliance with the Research Centre, and said, “The establishment of the Engineering Technology Research Centre will provide a strong boost to the development of the Greater Bay Area (GBA). The Centre comprises universities, research institutions and industries within and beyond the GBA, indicating a strong base for diversified cooperation which will bring about profound outcomes under this new initiative.”
HKU’s interdisciplinary team at present is mainly involved in the study of space-time characteristics of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge’s cross-border travel and the development of intelligent transport planning system. It is also participating in the study of intelligent virtual reality, real-time monitoring, prediction and early warning of structural breakdown of the bridge. Both HKU and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Authority will jointly bid for research funding and promote technology transfer for related research results.