Philomathia Foundation donates HK$15M to HKU Engineering to foster Engineering education and inspire innovative thinking among HK youngsters
Philomathia Foundation Limited, a staunch supporter to the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), recently donated HK15M to the Innovation Academy of the Faculty of Engineering to establish the “Philomathia Foundation Innovation Fund”. The Fund will be used for supporting programmes and activities of the Academy in the Faculty.
A cheque presentation ceremony was held at Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing and attended by representatives of Philomathia Foundation Limited Mr Leslie Chung, Mr Erik Chan, Mr Danny Chan and Mr Timothy Lau, Dean of Engineering Professor Christopher Chao, Head of Innovation Academy Professor Norman C. Tien, Associate Head of Innovation Academy Dr May Chui and Director of Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing Dr C.K. Chui.
Mr. Leslie Chung, Director of Philomathia Foundation Limited, said: “The Foundation has been promoting and supporting research and innovation in renowned Universities around the world to nurture talents. With the establishment of the Innovation Fund at HKU Engineering, we are looking forward to working together with the Faculty to motivate and stimulate youngsters in Hong Kong to study Engineering and germinate innovative ideas, so that they can contribute to the development of innovation and technology for Hong Kong and the world. We are thankful to be part of the Innovation Academy.”
Housed at the newly-built two-storey of the Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing, the Innovation Academy has the prime mission to help students to “Inspire, Equip and Showcase”. The Academy serves as a magnet to attract new talents to work together on innovative projects through a series of programmes and activities. It will also bring together students, teachers, industry partners and professionals via ground-breaking projects that will benefit businesses and society.
Professor Norman C. Tien, Vice President (Institutional Advancement), Taikoo Professor of Engineering and Head of Innovation Academy, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Foundation for their unfailing support to the Academy. He said: “The Innovation Academy shares the same mission with the Philomathia Foundation. We are most thankful for their generosity in establishing the ‘Philomathia Foundation Innovation Fund’. It will definitely give us a great start in cultivating the next generation of talents at HKU, as well as in Hong Kong.”
The Academy earlier organised the first InnoSpark competition where undergraduate students could pitch their innovative ideas and grow their own community of interest. Professor Tien remarked: “We have received an overwhelming response for this competition and we are impressed by the students’ ideas and presentations. The Academy is meant to be a sandbox where students gear up and try to make their dreams come true. The establishment of the Innovation Fund allows us to provide holistic support to our students for further developing their ideas. We also serve as a platform for them to recruit teammates with the same interest to further strengthen their ideas.” Other activities like InnoEdge, InnoSharing, InnoShow and Student-initiated courses are in the pipeline.
Professor Christopher Chao, Dean of HKU Engineering, is thrilled about the establishment of the Fund, he said: “With the opening of Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing in December 2020, the support from Philomathia Foundation has provided an impetus for the Faculty. It provides an opportunity for us to create an arena to promote the exchange of ideas among teachers, students and stakeholders. It is believed that through a commitment to education, we can nurture innovative talents for the betterment of mankind.”
About the Innovation Academy, HKU Faculty of Engineering
The Innovation Academy is established for nurturing future innovators to generate impactful ideas and products. The Academy serves as a magnet to attract new talents to work together on innovative projects through a series of programmes and activities designed to capture three goals: Inspire, Equip and Showcase. The “InnoHub programme” is dedicated to providing a platform to connect students from all ten faculties at the University for cross-disciplinary collaboration and to prepare them for addressing the grand challenges of the world. The Academy will also establish an industrial consortium leveraging on the collaboration and networking with both local and international industries and industry leaders, alongside partnerships among industries, business organisations, governments and academia at the University.