Behind these results, though, lies a big challenge for me and my team: how can we help our researchers to do even better? HKUMed’s strengths did not appear out of the blue. They were built, over many years, on the efforts and collegiality of our scholars and investment by the Faculty and its providers. To sustain our international and Asian rankings, treading water will not be good enough. We need to dream bigger. My aim, then, in the coming few years, is to scale up the Faculty and grow our aspirations. We have more opportunities than ever; thanks to the government’s decision to invest in developing Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub. This aspiration is echoed in the University as a whole, where new facilities and collaborations are opening up around innovation and technology, including the DeepTech initiative, the Global Innovation Centre and initiatives in the GBA including the development of the HKU-Shenzhen campus. HKUMed is a driving force in bringing these aspirations forward. We have been harnessing resources to sharpen our capabilities, including adding new core facilities, strengthening data science capabilities, promoting transdisciplinary research through joint appointments, promoting new strategic research initiatives and extending our international partnership network. These efforts will position us to grasp new research and impact opportunities in both Hong Kong and the GBA. Fortunately, our ambitions coincide with our physical expansion plans, which give us the means to accommodate our growth and new directions. To sustain our international and Asian rankings, treading water will not be good enough. We need to dream bigger. Growing outwards As I mentioned earlier, the new building at No. 3 Sassoon Road, which houses the Schools of Nursing and Chinese Medicine, is the first visible expansion of our footprint in Hong Kong in some years. You may have heard of our other expansion plans along Sassoon Road, as well as the Green Belt next to that building and dedicated cancer centres at the new Grantham Hospital. These facilities will come online over the next few years and not a minute too soon. Total staff numbers have risen by 45% over the past decade while annual undergraduate intake has more than doubled over the past 20 years – since the campus at 21 Sassoon Road first opened. We clearly are in great need of more laboratories, office space and classrooms to accommodate our activities. 11 THE DEAN’S LETTER
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