Government welcomes Founding Dean of Medicine of HKUST on assuming office
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today (June 1) welcomed the appointment of Professor Li King-chuen as the Founding Dean of Medicine of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and his assumption of office on the same day, marking a new milestone in the HKUST's preparatory work for the establishment of the third medical school.
The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, said, "The establishment of the third medical school of Hong Kong is of great importance to the long-term development of Hong Kong's healthcare system. Professor Li served as the Founding Dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States and possesses invaluable practical experience in establishing a new medical school. I look forward to the HKUST's medical school continuing to smoothly advance the relevant preparatory work under his leadership, including the recruitment of the teaching and research team, the formulation of teaching programmes, and participation in the overall planning of the Ngau Tam Mei campus and the new integrated teaching and research hospital, deepening collaboration with local healthcare institutions and teaching partners, as well as full co-operation with the Medical Council of Hong Kong throughout the accreditation exercise for the curriculum."
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, said, "Professor Li possesses outstanding leadership experience in medical education, an interdisciplinary academic background, and extensive experience in establishing a medical school. It is hoped that, with his global vision, academic and clinical experience, and extensive connections in the international medical community, he will lead the HKUST's medical school in leveraging the strengths of clinical medicine, engineering, data science, and emerging technologies to develop an innovative education model that meets local professional standards, while also being forward-looking and internationally oriented."
In November last year, the Chief Executive in Council approved the establishment of the third medical school and gave approval-in-principle for the new medical school to be established by the HKUST, which shall aim to admit the first cohort of 50 students in the 2028/29 academic year.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Professor Li is currently Dean Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor of Radiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine in the United States. He is an internationally renowned physician-scientist, biomedical innovator, and academic leader, and has served in a number of renowned academic institutions and medical organisations.
Source: AI-found images
Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme invites new round of applications
The Main Programme under the Professional Services Advancement Support Scheme (PASS) is inviting a new round of applications for project proposals starting today (June 1) from non-profit-distributing organisations such as professional bodies, trade and industrial organisations and research institutes.
PASS, with a total allocation of $200million, aims at funding non-profit-making industry-led projects to increase exchanges and co-operation between Hong Kong's professional services and external counterparts, promote relevant publicity activities, and enhance the standards and external competitiveness of Hong Kong's professional services.
The maximum grant for each approved project under the Main Programme of PASS is $3million or 90per cent of the approved project cost, whichever is lower. A wide range of professional services, such as accounting, legal and dispute resolution, architecture, engineering, healthcare, information and communications technology, design and technical testing and analysis, are eligible for the Main Programme. Sector-specific projects and cross-sectoral projects are both welcome. Expenses directly incurred for implementing a project, such as manpower costs, venue and set-up costs, production and promotion costs, and the project team and active participants' travel and accommodation costs outside Hong Kong, are typically eligible for funding support under the Scheme. Funding support may also be provided for travel and accommodation costs incurred by participants in relatively longer professional internships or attachment programmes outside Hong Kong that are funded by the Main Programme.
Up to early May2026, over 130projects had been funded under the Main Programme, including project deliverables in and outside Hong Kong. The deliverables include capacity-building programmes for enhancing the standards of local professionals, such as training programmes, workshops and study tours; outreach and promotional activities for showcasing the strengths of Hong Kong's professional services, such as roadshows, promotional seminars and participation in exhibitions outside Hong Kong; exchange activities for deepening interaction between Hong Kong professionals and their external counterparts, such as visits to other economies and international conferences and seminars held in Hong Kong; and research projects on potential external markets for Hong Kong professional services and development of best practice guidelines and manuals for professionals. Details about the Main Programme and its funded projects are available at www.pass.gov.hk/main/en/home.
Furthermore, with a view to stepping up the promotion of Hong Kong's competitive edges and professional services to the Mainland and overseas markets, $50million has been set aside for the Professionals Participation Subsidy Programme (PSP) under PASS to subsidise Hong Kong major professional bodies to participate in relevant activities organised by the Government (such as Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council after the pandemic situation has stabilised. Details of the PSP and its list of activities are available at www.pass.gov.hk/psp. Hong Kong professionals from the eligible professional sectors under PASS may make use of the PSP subsidy to join the relevant activities.
The Main Programme and the PSP receive applications for project and activity proposals all year round, and they are processed on a quarterly basis. The deadline for the new round of applications is August 31,2026. A briefing session will be held this month for organisations interested in applying for the PASS funding. One-on-one consultations are also available upon request for discussing preliminary project ideas or projects in the planning stage. To register for the briefing session, schedule a consultation, or for other enquiries, please contact the PASS Secretariat at 36555418 or pass@cedb.gov.hk.
Source: AI-found images
