Graduate students and faculty collaborate on AI-driven startups, fueling region’s transformation into a technological hub

Riding the artificial intelligence wave, Lu Ping, a first-year graduate student in computer science, has plunged into the ocean of entrepreneurial opportunities, hoping to make her mark in this technology-driven new era.

Among the first batch of students at the newly established City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan), aka CityUHK (DG) — an emerging tertiary education and innovation hub located in Dongguan, Guangdong province — Lu is also a founding member of the startup, Shenzhen Index Gravity Technology Co Ltd.

The company, which serves as an AI agent to facilitate global enterprises’ cross-border marketing, provides tailored, AI-driven promotional services to address their primary challenges in overseas business expansion.

Established in August 2024, the startup’s first-round valuation exceeds $6 million, and it has secured orders worth over $500,000 in its first year of operation.

Lu’s team’s entrepreneurial project achieved good results in the Dongguan segment of the third HK Tech 300 National Startup Competition in April. This nationwide flagship event, organized by CityUHK, offers extensive support to winners, including prize money, workspace, intellectual property rights, and connections with investment organizations.

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Lu’s experience reflects CityUHK (DG)’s dedication to encouraging innovative thinking. A key project of CityUHK, the newly established CityUHK (DG), opened for enrollment in 2024, attracting 120 undergraduate students and 442 master’s students. Starting this year, it has also been authorized to enroll students from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and international students.

The university offers four undergraduate programs and seven master’s programs, covering fields such as computer science, engineering management, materials engineering, and energy and power engineering — all top disciplines at CityUHK that are well-aligned with Dongguan’s industrial transformation.

Guided by certain educational philosophies — teaching and research; consistency in academic excellence; and innovating into the future — CityUHK (DG) is committed to bringing CityUHK’s strengths to the Chinese mainland, including its advanced management experience, internationalized educational concepts, outstanding research capabilities, and innovative teaching methods.

Benefiting from the school’s ties with an axis of neighboring scientific institutions and enterprises, Lu Chengyang, a freshman who chose intelligent manufacturing engineering as his study direction, secured him a valuable internship at Xbot Park, a reputable global startup incubator focusing on robotics and smart hardware.

Initiated by legendary entrepreneurship mentor Li Zexiang, the park is situated at Songshan Lake, a 20-minute drive from the university, and serves as a national-level high-tech industrial zone housing telecommunication giant Huawei and hundreds of other tech firms.

Tasked with expanding ties with entrepreneurs, Lu Chengyang was deeply impressed by the budding business leaders’ zest for innovation and their strong execution capabilities to bring ideas to fruition.

“In fact, the ideas of many teams are not quite mature at first, but due to their efficient execution capabilities, they can quickly mobilize resources to implement the plan and continuously improve it afterwards.

“To get the ball rolling first and gradually address problems arising later — that’s key for them to discover unique business opportunities,” he said.

Their pioneering spirit also sowed the seed of entrepreneurship within him, inspiring him to become an innovator in the intelligent manufacturing sector.

The undergraduate student highlighted the abundant internship opportunities for CityUHK (DG) students. In addition to local options in Dongguan, it is also convenient for students to seek internships at leading companies in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Some students can also gain insight into Hong Kong’s innotech ecosystem through the STEM Internship Scheme initiated by the special administrative region government’s Innovation and Technology Fund.

Apart from supporting student innovation, the scientific resources around CityUHK (DG) are also vital for advancing faculty research.

Wu Zhenduo, a materials science expert who previously worked at CityUHK, was drawn to the new challenges and opportunities that arise with the establishment of CityUHK (DG).

Now serving as an associate professor at CityUHK (DG), Wu is in charge of the institution’s management of research projects. His research work is closely connected to the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS), a world-leading research facility for materials science, also based in the Songshan Lake high-tech zone.

The first such facility in China and the fourth in the world, CSNS acts as a super-microscopy tool to study the microstructure of materials, with broad applications in related fields, such as life sciences, physics, chemistry, and new energy.

Relying on the facility, Wu and his colleagues conducted research on advanced amorphous alloys, a key material used in hinges for foldable phones.

Wu said the CityUHK (DG)’s proximity to CSNS has saved his team considerable trouble in seeking foreign facilities. When conducting experiments with overseas spallation neutron sources, the challenge of replacing faulty samples can significantly delay experimental progress.

He said that the university’s emphasis on encouraging students to engage in research has boosted their enthusiasm for science. Many students have taken the initiative to join Wu’s research projects or seek joint research opportunities with other scientific organizations.

The scholar added that the school’s research work has got off to a good start, and expressed his hope of being able to accelerate its development with the backing of CityUHK. “For everyone who aspires to excel in research and to develop an international scope, our school is a good choice,” he said.

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Li Yi, chair professor of CityUHK (DG), believes that the university’s principle of ensuring consistent educational standards and quality with CityUHK is essential for the Dongguan institution’s competitiveness.

“From curriculum design to the English-language teaching environment, such educational consistency is guaranteed on various fronts,” Li said.

Underscoring the significance of English instruction, Li explained that such an arrangement helps students — especially undergraduates — to comprehend the most advanced scientific theories and foster their internationalization capabilities.

The university also offers diverse communication channels with topnotch scholars worldwide. Such interactions are key to igniting inspiration for innovation and catalyzing the transformation of scientific outcomes, Li added.

Li expressed his hope that CityUHK (DG) and Dongguan’s local government will continue to invest in scientific research to continuously attract top talent and drive economic development.

Given the university’s culture of innovation, he also encouraged students to actively explore new frontiers. “The aim of research is to create new knowledge for others to learn,” he said. He believes that joining the school is a promising choice for students, enabling young minds to reach their potential, strive for excellence, and become changemakers.

Contact the writer at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com