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Bridging the gap in innovation translation
30 Aug 2022
Hong Kong is developing into an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub under the nation’s 14th Five-Year Plan, and is actively promoting reindustralisation. As a result, it is even more pivotal for industry, the academic and research sectors to enhance collaboration. Against this backdrop, the Institute for Innovation, Translation and Policy Research (ITPR) at HKBU was established at the right time to facilitate the technology translation of its excellent basic research.
Professor Terence Lau, Interim Chief Innovation Officer of the University, is heading this newly established ITPR, and he says that it is the third mission of a university to translate innovative research outcomes and inventions into real-life applications that benefit society, the nation and even the world. He adds that when a research outcome is applied to real-life, it may receive feedback that helps it advance to a new level. However, given the gap in technological readiness between innovative research and real-life applications, the translation process is never easy, and it requires additional resources including funding, talent and particular skill sets.
In the case of drug development, when a molecule is identified and proven to have the potential to treat cancer, further studies have to be carried out and it still has to go through a multi-step process that may take years before the resulting drug is finally adopted by the industry. Consequently, there are many points of failure, and thus, many scholars choose not to go beyond the basic research stage.
With his extensive network and years of experience in technological and entrepreneurial ventures, especially in research and development (R&D) as well as the commercialisation of innovative products, Professor Lau hopes to build an ecosystem to develop the culture of technology translation within the University. “With a mission to drive strategic alliances, collaborations, multidisciplinary R&D and its application, the ITPR will bridge the gap between scholars and industry. While we will help scholars look for collaborative partners, we will help industry identify our research excellence with the potential to be translated into real-life applications,” says Professor Lau.
Translation of Chinese medicine and art-tech
Professor Lau believes that Chinese medicine (CM) at HKBU is already playing a leading role in Hong Kong. With the support of other disciplines, such as chemistry, biology, computer science and even the humanities, there is a lot of unique technological development potential within CM, and through the different platforms built by the ITPR, there is room to further advance its translation and application. One notable example is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with China Resources Enterprise Limited (CRE) to jointly promote the modernisation and internationalisation of CM. Under the MOU, both parties will explore the establishment of the HKBU-CRE Joint Innovation Centre on Smart Medicine to take forward related collaborative research and technology development, as well as application and commercialisation initiatives. In addition, they will also promote the digitalisation, and standardisation of CM.
With regard to art-tech, which is another focus area of the University, Professor Lau believes that its advancement hinges on collaborations between artists and experts from various disciplines. He says: “The ‘Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong’ research project jointly led by Professor Guo Yike, Vice-President (Research and Development), and Professor Johnny Poon, Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research), is a typical example of how scientists and artists work together.” He also stressed the importance of collaboration with external partners, as certain technical skillsets may not be available in the university.
While people tend to think that the translation of knowledge and its application only applies to research in science and technology, Professor Lau thinks otherwise. “Research in the humanities or social science disciplines can also be translated as long as the societal needs are met. For instance, geography research can contribute to urban planning and the building of smart cities. Thus I hope to cultivate, step by step, a culture of innovation, translation and application development among all the staff and students.”
Policy research is another focus area of the ITPR. “The Government’s policies are closely related to the development of I&T. For example, how will innovations in art-tech benefit Hong Kong? How can they enhance the nation’s soft power? What kind of policies should be in place for them? In addition, in what direction should Hong Kong go in terms of I&T development and reindustrialisation? We hope to provide our insights based on our experience and the University’s strengths together with the other think-tanks,” says Professor Lau.
From his perspective, as Hong Kong is one of the major cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), it has advantages under the “One Country, Two Systems” policy and the nation’s support to become an I&T hub. However, industrialisation must be in place for the city to sustain its innovative edge. Nowadays, certain industries such as those related to biotechnology or information and communication technology do not require a vast amount of land or labour, enabling applied research in these areas to be done in Hong Kong. Such an approach to reindustrialisation would, in turn, allow these industries to provide feedback for driving the development of basic research. In addition, while there is a division of work among the GBA cities, it is equally important for Hong Kong to collaborate with the other cities for more synergies.
Expert in food safety
Professor Lau graduated from The University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree in Animal and Plant Biotechnology. He later received a master’s degree in Biology from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and a PhD in Physiology from Peking University in China. He worked at a renowned Swiss-based multinational company, and was involved in setting up biotechnology companies. In addition, he has developed over a hundred products, particularly in the area of biotechnology.
In light of his experience and expertise, Professor Lau has been serving in various advisory roles in the government and supranational bodies, including the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). He is also advising the industry in enhancing food safety standards and is the first in Asia to become a member of the Food Safety Advisory Council of McDonald’s headquarters in Chicago. He founded the Food Safety Consortium, a charitable organisation which has become the first WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius NGO observer from China. Owing to his contribution to advancing food safety, he was awarded the International Leadership Award by the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) in the United States.
When asked why food safety is so dear to his heart, Professor Lau believes that food safety is closely related to people’s health and that it is a very important cross-disciplinary research area, involving chemistry, biology and even big data, the Internet of Things, and risk communication. He thinks that universities in Hong Kong, especially HKBU, can contribute to this area with their frontier science and outstanding researchers.