City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) offers students a host of scientific research resources
One year ago, the establishment of City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) was officially approved by the Ministry of Education.
As a collaborative school of City University of Hong Kong, CityUHK(DG) in South China's Guangdong province abounds in scientific research resources and focuses on national needs, Hong Kong's strengths, and Dongguan city's expectations to create an international, interdisciplinary and open collaboration platform.
CityUHK (DG) enjoys nearby advantageous scientific research resources, such as the China Spallation Neutron Source, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, advanced attosecond laser facilities and a photon source research testing platform.
It has been approved for four undergraduate majors: Computer Science and Technology; Materials Science and Engineering; Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering; and Energy and Power Engineering. The 10 postgraduate programs that have been approved are Computer Science; Mechanical Engineering; Engineering Management; Materials Engineering and Nanotechnology; Business Information Systems; Data Science; Electronic Information Engineering; Energy and Environment; Biomedical Engineering; and Civil and Architectural Engineering.
The school adheres to the principle of "consistency in academic excellence" with City University of Hong Kong and maintains the same academic quality and standards.
The CityUHK ranked 62nd in the QS World University Rankings 2025 published on June 4, 2024 and 10th in the QS Asia University Rankings 2025 published on Nov 6, 2024. It also ranked 78th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, and first in the THE most international universities in the world 2024 and 2025.
Lu Chun, executive president at CityUHK (DG), said: "To ensure consistency (in academic excellence), 80 percent of the teachers in our team were sent from the City University of Hong Kong in Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong, to teach here."
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The two universities have signed an agreement allowing excellent undergraduate and graduate students to study at each other's school each academic year to broaden students' horizons.
CityUHK (DG) also regularly organizes students' visits to CityUHK. In December, about 60 students from CityUHK (DG) went on a two-day study trip to CityUHK. In March, first-year postgraduate students majoring in Business Information Systems visited CityUHK to experience the international atmosphere and attended an introduction lecture for the technological innovation project named "HK Tech 300".
Li Juan, vice-president (academic) of CityUHK (DG), said: "In terms of curriculum design, we follow an important principle of 'Hong Kong's strengths, national needs and the development needs of the (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao) Greater Bay Area and Dongguan'."
Within this framework, CityUHK(DG) has introduced CityUHK's superior disciplines, involving computer science, materials, energy and intelligent manufacturing. The four disciplines align with the industrial upgrading and strategic development direction of Dongguan, according to Li.
The integration of teaching and research is another principle that CityUHK (DG) has adhered to, according to Liu Zishun, vice-president (research and innovation) of the university, who thinks teaching should be advanced with a solid research foundation.
"Although our school is young and funding is not abundant, we are committed to providing start-up funds for newly recruited professors to help them carry out research smoothly," Liu said.
The school also promotes cooperation between professors and industries. Professors in the field of electronic information negotiate with related companies to seek common research projects. "This collaboration helps professors secure project funding from companies, while we also encourage teachers to cooperate with international institutions and apply for international project support," said Liu.
To attract high-level international professors, the school provides a good research environment, including adequate laboratory space, equipment and facilities. As some equipment is expensive, it has collaborated with surrounding research facilities and laboratories to share resources, maximize resource utilization and meet the research needs of professors.
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CityUHK (DG) also provides students with diverse opportunities. "HK Tech 300" projects create chances for students to collaborate with teams in different fields. "In these projects, students can exercise and enhance their interdisciplinary practice skills," said Li.
To help students understand the latest technology applications and industry talent needs, CityUHK (DG) regularly organizes visits to enterprises. Recently, about 200 undergraduate and graduate students visited companies such as Tencent, Vivo, Midea, Honor and CMB Network Technology, a subsidiary of China Merchants Bank, to understand their organizational culture and market strategies, as well as gain career planning and employment guidance.
Xie Shenlei, a freshman who graduated from Quanzhou No 7 High School Fujian, said: "I chose to study at CityUHK (DG) because the school has unique geographical advantages. There are many new-type research and development institutions and high-tech companies nearby, such as the China Spallation Neutron Source, Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory and Huawei. The industry-university-research cooperation at CityUHK (DG) provides students with rich innovation opportunities and practice experience."
A first-year graduate student majoring in Electronic Information Engineering said that the reason for choosing CityUHK (DG) is simple — it is not only an academic palace but an innovative ecosystem. It takes less than an hour to reach major airports, ports and high-speed rail stations in the Greater Bay Area from the school, giving him many opportunities to participate in cutting-edge industry exchanges, according to the student surnamed Yuan.
Hu Chenxuan, a freshman who graduated from Beijing 101 Middle School, said that she believes the international educational resources and cutting-edge majors at CityUHK(DG) will help her broaden an international perspective and prepare for studies abroad.
"The rich student activities also make me very happy. We participated in study trips to research institutions and museums to learn about cutting-edge technology and historical treasures; we made mooncakes and admired the full moon during Mid-Autumn Festival, and made dumplings at winter solstice, having a great time together. These experiences of learning and celebrating together make me feel the unity and friendliness of the CityUHK (DG) family," Hu said.
The school is located in the start-up zone of the Greater Bay Area's comprehensive national science center. In 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Science and Technology approved joint construction of the zone by Songshan Lake Science City in Dongguan and Guangming Science City in Shenzhen.
