HONG KONG - Universities from Hong Kong and Beijing will establish an alliance to explore closer cooperation, Secretary for Education Eddie Ng Hak-kim said on Thursday.

This is the second such organization after the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Alliance (GHMUA) was formed last November.

Speaking after meeting with Beijing’s education authority, Ng said a consensus has been built up among institutions. Peking University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will lead the cooperation scheme, Ng said.

He believes the alliance is a step forward for cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland’s higher education sector.

Following the establishment of the GHMUA last November, which comprises 26 higher education institutions from the Pearl River Delta region, Hong Kong has already created a number of cooperation plans among institutions, including an innovation exhibition that is going to be held in October, Ng revealed.

The city’s innovation chief stressed the importance of the government’s plan to put more resources into high-tech education in colleges. It is hoping to nurture the city’s innovation and technology talents.

Speaking at the summit on innovation and higher education on Thursday, Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung said the success of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development hinges on the achievements of the city’s universities.

"The government is determined to step up its efforts in helping our universities,” Yang said.

He revealed that the government is exploring an alternative and more flexible funding source outside the scope of University Grants Committee – the advisory committee responsible for advising the government on the development and funding needs of higher education institutions.

A review will be conducted on the allocation of research grants and expanding the assessment criteria to include research influence and effectiveness of knowledge transfer, Yang said.

The government has created an Innovation and Technology Fund and a University-Industry Collaboration Programme to facilitate innovation education. The government has also launched the HK$2 billion Midstream Research Programme for Universities to encourage universities to conduct more applied research to facilitate downstream research or product development, according to official documents.

Reported by: Luis Liu
Source: ChinaDaily