HKU Talent Forum and TEA Second Anniversary Bring Government, Industry and Academia Together in Qianhai

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) held the HKU Talent Forum and the Second Anniversary Celebration of the HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Academy (TEA) in Qianhai, Shenzhen, on 5 September. The event brought together government, academia, industry, investors, entrepreneurs and young innovators to discuss talent development in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and ways to translate research into innovation through deeper Hong Kong–Shenzhen collaboration.

Mr Wang Shourui, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Qianhai Cooperation Zone Work Committee of the CPC Shenzhen Municipal Committee, attended with representatives from relevant Shenzhen and Qianhai authorities. HKU was represented by Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor; Professor Chen Lin, Vice-President (Business); Professor Anderson Shum, Vice-President (Research); Professor Xiaobo Yin, Vice-President (Global) and Director of HKU TEA; and Professor Ngô Bảo Châu, Fields Medallist and Chair Professor of Mathematics. Executives and innovation leaders from major enterprises and start-ups also took part.

Mr Wang highlighted that the integrated development of education, technology, and talent serves as the key lever for Qianhai to implement the Plan for Comprehensive Deepening Reform and Opening Up of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone and to support the Greater Bay Area’s rise as an international technology innovation centre. Staying true to its strategic mandate of "relying on Hong Kong, serving the Chinese Mainland and opening up to the world”, Qianhai is executing an upgraded "1510" development model. Anchored by the continuous evolution of the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub, this model systematically builds a comprehensive, collaborative support ecosystem spanning policy frameworks, industry-academia-research synergy, finance, talent, and development platforms.

Professor Zhang said that, as AI reshapes research, industry and careers, universities must do more than equip students with new tools. “Future universities should not be merely repositories of knowledge; they must be crucibles for capability-building and character formation,” Professor Zhang said. “In an age when AI can provide answers, knowing how to ask the right questions is a higher-order form of wisdom.”

Professor Zhang said HKU would continue to connect research-led education with interdisciplinary learning, project-based work, entrepreneurship and industry engagement, and welcomed long-term collaboration with employers on student development and innovation.

The event also marked an important milestone for HKU TEA, which has now welcomed more than 100 incubated projects in Qianhai. During its first two years, the Academy has introduced 24 professors, 45 doctoral researchers, 171 young people from Hong Kong and 400 young entrepreneurs. Its projects have disclosed aggregate financing of RMB 850 million and an overall valuation approaching RMB 7 billion. The Bay·HUNDRED initiative was launched at the event to further connect research, talent, entrepreneurship and industry.

In a masterclass entitled Can Mathematical Research Help Us Survive the AI Wave?, Professor Ngô reflected on the enduring value of fundamental disciplines. “With AI assistance, mathematicians can understand the world better than when working independently,” Professor Ngô said. “The economic challenge AI presents is how to redefine human value and recognise the fruits of human labour, rather than simply handing everything to machines.”

The Forum also included brief exchanges on the qualities needed for world-class talent in the AI era and on how technology ventures can progress from early-stage validation to scalable growth. Professor Chen Lin said in closing that HKU TEA’s progress from its first project to its hundredth demonstrated the value of combining forward-looking policy support with an open industrial ecosystem.

The Forum forms part of the HKU Talent Forum Series, HKU’s flagship Chinese Mainland platform for bringing the University’s academic and student talent into dialogue with employers, alumni, government and other strategic partners.

About the HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Academy

Established in Qianhai, Shenzhen in 2024, the HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Academy supports the translation of HKU research into entrepreneurship and industry engagement, while developing a cross-border innovation and talent ecosystem.