HKUST senior management, including President Nancy Ip Yuk-yu (sixth left) attends the media spring reception on Feb 22, 2023. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology plans to establish the city’s third medical school within the current-term HKSAR government, and build a satellite campus at the proposed Northern Metropolis.

Revealing the plans to media on Thursday, HKUST President Nancy Ip Yuk-yu, who is a neuroscientist, said the medical school, planned to be built before mid-2027, may not be located in the Northern Metropolis as the new town is unlikely to be finished in the short term.

Unlike the city’s two other medical schools, the new medical school will offer four-year bachelor degrees and admit only undergraduate degree holders, regardless of their disciplines. Non-medical discipline students can also apply for the school, which will set an exam for aspiring applicants. Initially, the school aims to accommodate 50 students, with plans to gradually expand the capacity to 150.

HKUST has already formed a dedicated preparatory committee and a working group to liaise with the government. The university is also in discussion with stakeholders in order to map out a detailed plan for the new school

Currently, the city’s two medical schools — run by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong — can accommodate 295 students each. Both schools have indicated plans to expand their quotas in future to address the city’s heavily-strained public health system.

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HKUST has already formed a dedicated preparatory committee and a working group to liaise with the government. The university is also in discussion with stakeholders, including the government, potential funding organizations and medical and education sectors, concerning student recruitment, curriculum setting and hiring faculties and clinical internship in order to map out a detailed plan for the new school. 

Ip said by integrating cutting-edge technologies and scientific research, the university aims to elevate healthcare services and ensure the well-being of its residents.

The Health Bureau said it will wait for the university’s detailed plan to the government before making further consideration as it is still in the initial stage.

A spokesperson for the bureau expressed an open attitude towards any initiatives that contribute to the cultivation of local medical students and increase the supply of healthcare professionals.

The satellite campus, mulled by the university, will center on three aspects — cross-disciplinary research, future medicine and innovation and technology. It will touch on research in health, green technology, fintech, microelectronics/nanotechnology and smart manufacturing technology, in a bid to attract more research talents to the city.

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Ip said she believes the satellite campus would enable the university to develop an innovation corridor connecting HKUST, its research bases in Chinese mainland, and HKUST’s campus in Guangzhou.