Hong Kong’s delegation has won a record-breaking number of awards at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, which was held from April 17 to 21 in Geneva, Switzerland.

Founded in 1972, the International Exhibition of Inventions is one of the longest and largest in the world. More than 1,000 inventions from 38 countries and regions around the world were exhibited this year.

Hong Kong’s delegation was the largest ever this year, comprising about 700 representatives from 40 organizations, such as universities, research and development centres, laboratories, technology companies, government departments, and primary and secondary schools.

The city received six Special Awards, 28 Gold Medals with Congratulations of Jury, and 114 Gold Medals in total. Researches from universities pocketed the majority of the prizes, and awards received by the four universities — the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong — were also the highest ever.

ALSO READ: HK police force wins three top accolades in Geneva

HKUST Vice-President for Research and Development Professor Tim Cheng Kwang-Ting said, “I am so proud to witness a record-breaking number of HKUST winning teams at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva this year.” He said he believes it is not only a testament to their research and innovation capabilities but also reinforces their solid track record in entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer.

The six Special Awards received by the Hong Kong delegation cover a wide range of applications, such as those in the areas of biomedicine and artificial intelligence. HKUST’s project on therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) won the Prize of the Chinese Delegation for Invention and Innovation, as well as the Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury. The research findings open up new possibilities for the development of AD therapeutics and offer a simpler, less invasive, and safer option compared to traditional AD treatment approaches.

The Nano and Advanced Materials Institute, an applied research and development centre under the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, has won seven Gold medals, nine Silver and one Bronze with its technologies at the exhibition. Award-winning innovations include an ultra-stable lithium metal battery with 3D nanostructured anode, a firm-to-soft intelligent floor mat for elderly fall injury prevention, and a flexible circuit board with superior high-speed transmission performance.

READ MORE: PolyU wins 31 awards at international invention expo

“The record-breaking number of awards this year is encouraging as it not only reflects the international recognition of Hong Kong’s research and scientific achievements, but also exemplifies Hong Kong’s profound strength in innovation and technology (I&T), which has laid a solid foundation for Hong Kong to become an international I&T center,” said Sun Dong, the secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry.