ASTRI Achieves Strongest Representation in Asia at 2026 R&D 100 Awards, with Three Technologies Named Global Winners

HONG KONG, Aug. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has achieved a landmark milestone at the prestigious 2026 R&D 100 Awards, widely regarded as the "Oscars of Innovation". ASTRI secured six finalist technologies, making it the highest-represented organisation in Asia and the leading non-US organisation among the 2026 R&D finalists. Of these six finalist technologies, three were selected as R&D 100 Award winners, earning places among the world's 100 most technologically significant innovations of the year.

Ir Dr Ted Suen, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, said: "We are deeply honoured to be recognised by the R&D 100 Awards. Having six technologies shortlisted as finalists and seeing three of them selected as winners is a strong testament to ASTRI's research excellence and innovation capabilities. These achievements reflect the dedication of our researchers and partners in developing technologies that address real-world industry and societal challenges while creating economic and social values."

"ASTRI will continue to strengthen collaboration among government, industry, academia and the research ecosystem, accelerate the commercialisation of research outcomes, and contribute to Hong Kong's development as an international innovation and technology hub. We also support the national 15th Five-Year Plan by advancing strategic technologies in areas such as AI, microelectronics, new energy and green technologies, helping to foster new quality productive forces and contribute to the country's high-quality development," he added.

Six Technologies Recognised by the 2026 R&D 100 Awards

ASTRI's six recognised technologies span advanced surveillance, sustainability, healthcare, advanced materials and next-generation manufacturing.

R&D100 Award Winners

Category	Technology
Mechanical/Materials	DyeMate-SC Waterless dyeing is becoming increasingly important amid water scarcity and tightening regulations on microplastics. While supercritical CO₂ dyeing works for synthetic fibres, natural fibres remain incompatible with the process. DyeMate-SC overcomes this barrier, enabling supercritical CO₂ dyeing of natural fibres with performance comparable to conventional water dyeing while reducing resource consumption and environmental impact.
Mechanical/Materials	EcoFlux: EcoCarbon-infused Natural Graphite Anode Co-applicant: Graphex Innovation and Technology Limited EcoFlux Anode redefines spherical natural graphite through hard carbon infilling and a fast-ion coating developed using an eco-friendly aqueous process. This innovation delivers less than 5% anode swelling, charging capability in under 20 minutes, enhanced reversible capacity and nearly double the cycle life, offering a cost-effective, high-performance solution for long-life and high-energy battery applications.
Process/Prototyping:	CarbonTrust Co-applicant: Yau Lee Group CarbonTrust addresses key challenges through purpose-built technical solutions that combine blockchain immutability, AI Anomaly Detection and Cross-registry Intelligence in a unified platform. The platform integrates three mutually reinforcing innovations into a single subscription-accessible service, making trusted, automated carbon verification commercially viable for the first time at urban scale.

Category

Technology

Mechanical/Materials

DyeMate-SC

Waterless dyeing is becoming increasingly important amid water scarcity and tightening regulations on microplastics. While supercritical CO₂ dyeing works for synthetic fibres, natural fibres remain incompatible with the process. DyeMate-SC overcomes this barrier, enabling supercritical CO₂ dyeing of natural fibres with performance comparable to conventional water dyeing while reducing resource consumption and environmental impact.

Mechanical/Materials

EcoFlux: EcoCarbon-infused Natural Graphite Anode

Co-applicant: Graphex Innovation and Technology Limited

EcoFlux Anode redefines spherical natural graphite through hard carbon infilling and a fast-ion coating developed using an eco-friendly aqueous process. This innovation delivers less than 5% anode swelling, charging capability in under 20 minutes, enhanced reversible capacity and nearly double the cycle life, offering a cost-effective, high-performance solution for long-life and high-energy battery applications.

Process/Prototyping:

CarbonTrust

Co-applicant: Yau Lee Group

CarbonTrust addresses key challenges through purpose-built technical solutions that combine blockchain immutability, AI Anomaly Detection and Cross-registry Intelligence in a unified platform. The platform integrates three mutually reinforcing innovations into a single subscription-accessible service, making trusted, automated carbon verification commercially viable for the first time at urban scale.

R&D100 Award Finalists

Category	Technology
Electrical - Safety and Security	Multispectral Imaging for Advanced Surveillance Operations The Omniguard multispectral imaging system delivers superior haze penetration, exceptional contrast and outstanding signal clarity. By harnessing short-wave infrared (SWIR) technology operating at wavelengths of 900-1700nm, the system cuts through atmospheric scattering far more effectively than visible-light cameras, enabling reliable long-range detection even in foggy or smoky conditions.
Mechanical/Materials	Biocide-Free Bacteria-Repellent Nanofiber Breathing System Filters Co-applicant: Well Lead Medical Co., Ltd. The bacteria-repellent nanofiber filter provides enhanced protection by controlling bioburden in breathing circuits. Its non-biocidal zwitterionic polymer hydration layer repels over 95% of bacteria without chemical leaching or superbug development. Robust physical filtration achieves over 99.999% bacterial and viral filtration and over 98.5% particle efficiency, consistently outperforming conventional electrostatic filters, whose effectiveness decline over time.
Process/Prototyping	100% Closed-loop Post-consumer Recycled Plastic Sheets for Cargo Industry Co-applicant: Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) The 100% closed-loop recycled plastic sheets are made from post-consumer polyethylene cargo sheet waste. Through an innovative recycling process, advanced formulation and a three-layer film structure, the recycled materials achieve the high melt strength required for large-sheet film blowing without the use of virgin resin, while meeting cargo operational requirements and promoting waste reduction and circular sustainability.

Category

Technology

Electrical - Safety and Security

Multispectral Imaging for Advanced Surveillance Operations

The Omniguard multispectral imaging system delivers superior haze penetration, exceptional contrast and outstanding signal clarity. By harnessing short-wave infrared (SWIR) technology operating at wavelengths of 900-1700nm, the system cuts through atmospheric scattering far more effectively than visible-light cameras, enabling reliable long-range detection even in foggy or smoky conditions.

Mechanical/Materials

Biocide-Free Bacteria-Repellent Nanofiber Breathing System Filters

Co-applicant: Well Lead Medical Co., Ltd.

The bacteria-repellent nanofiber filter provides enhanced protection by controlling bioburden in breathing circuits. Its non-biocidal zwitterionic polymer hydration layer repels over 95% of bacteria without chemical leaching or superbug development. Robust physical filtration achieves over 99.999% bacterial and viral filtration and over 98.5% particle efficiency, consistently outperforming conventional electrostatic filters, whose effectiveness decline over time.

Process/Prototyping

100% Closed-loop Post-consumer Recycled Plastic Sheets for Cargo Industry

Co-applicant: Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl)

The 100% closed-loop recycled plastic sheets are made from post-consumer polyethylene cargo sheet waste. Through an innovative recycling process, advanced formulation and a three-layer film structure, the recycled materials achieve the high melt strength required for large-sheet film blowing without the use of virgin resin, while meeting cargo operational requirements and promoting waste reduction and circular sustainability.

Organised by internationally renowned publication R&D World, the R&D 100 Awards honour the world's 100 most-technologically significant innovations from around the globe each year. Entries are evaluated by an independent panel of industry experts, making the awards among the most respected and competitive recognitions in global research and development. ASTRI's success highlights both the institute's research excellence and Hong Kong's growing influence in the international innovation landscape.

About ASTRI

Founded in 2000 by the HKSAR Government, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is the city's largest government-funded R&D centre. Committed to transforming high-impact research into practical innovations, ASTRI drives market-driven, interdisciplinary advancements across sectors, including Smart City, FinTech, Digital Health and Life Sciences, New Industrialisation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) and Advanced Electronics, New Energy and Energy Storage, and Green and ESG Technologies. Following its merger with the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute, ASTRI has further strengthened its capabilities, with over 1,500 patents and 2,200 successful cases of technology transfer. Recognised with numerous international awards, ASTRI continues to nurture top I&T talent and foster collaborations among the I&T ecosystem, contributing to Hong Kong's high-value economic development. For more information, please visit: https://www.astri.org

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ASTRI Achieves Strongest Representation in Asia at 2026 R&D 100 Awards, with Three Technologies Named Global Winners

Uncover the New Charms of Boao Lecheng Medical Tourism

HAIKOU, China, Aug. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report from PDDC:

Coastal scenery soothes body and mind, while cutting‑edge medical services empower health‑and‑wellness tourism. Bolstered by the opening‑up dividends of Hainan Free Trade Port, Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone has developed an innovative "medical care + tourism" business model, building a distinctive new landmark for integrated medical‑tourism development.

As a frontier hub for medical opening‑up in Hainan, Boao Lecheng leverages its pilot‑policy advantages to pool world‑class medical and pharmaceutical resources, and hosts the permanent ongoing International Innovative Drugs and Medical Devices Exhibition, a core cultural‑tourism exhibition platform.

Favorable policy incentives underpin the growth of medical tourism in Lecheng. To date, more than 600 types of specially‑approved drugs, medical devices and special food products have become available for the first time in China. A growing number of internationally renowned medical institutions and high‑caliber professionals have settled here. The arrival of premium institutions including South Korea's JK Medical Aesthetic & Plastic Surgery Hospital has laid a solid foundation for China‑Republic of Korea cooperation in medical‑and‑wellness tourism.

Booming industrial growth has driven rising popularity of medical tourism. In the first half of this year, Lecheng received 640,800 medical‑tourism visitors, a year‑on‑year increase of 133 %, among whom nearly 8,000 were overseas tourists. Since China and the ROK signed the strategic cooperation agreement on the coordinated development of medical tourism, the number of high‑end ROK tourists visiting Lecheng has kept rising, reflecting growing cross‑border integration of medical and tourism industries.

Beyond cutting‑edge medical experiences, Lecheng's profound wellness‑oriented cultural‑tourism features also win wide acclaim. At Boao Yiling Life‑Care Center, visitors from across the globe may immerse themselves in traditional Chinese wellness therapies such as TCM bone‑setting and calligraphy‑based health preservation, and gain direct insight into the unique charm of traditional Chinese health culture.

Through on‑site visits to the park's wellness communities, the press tour group gained in‑depth understanding of Lecheng's innovative health‑care model that "combines traditional wellness wisdom with modern scientific support", and discovered brand‑new experiences integrating traditional wellness and modern medical services.

"Hainan offers not only blue seas and sky‑kissing coastlines, but also distinctive high‑end medical‑and‑wellness programs. It stands out as an ideal destination for sightseeing, vacation and physical‑mental rejuvenation," said a representative ROK blogger in an interview. He noted that he would introduce Hainan's unique integrated medical‑tourism resources to ROK audiences through diverse communication channels.

Building on its special‑medical‑policy strengths, Boao Lecheng keeps pooling top‑tier medical resources and connects with surrounding high‑quality tourism facilities such as Boao Golf Course and Dongyu Island Resort to deepen integration of medical, wellness and tourism sectors. With high‑quality, international‑standard health‑and‑tourism services, it has emerged as a new benchmark for overseas tourists seeking premium wellness experiences and characteristic Hainan cultural‑tourism offerings.

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Check out Hainan's Pioneering Medical Hub