Global News

Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (left), and Professor Robert J. Zimmer, President of the University of Chicago (right), announced the renewed partnership for cross-disciplinary research and student exchange.

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The University of Chicago (UChicago) and The University of Hong Kong (HKU) announced the renewal of two memoranda of understanding (MoU) related to research and student exchange for three years until 2021, in a move to strengthen collaboration between the two universities.

The expanded joint Global Partnership Fund will provide more avenues for cross-disciplinary research and collaboration, teaching and learning opportunities, while the extended agreement on undergraduate student exchange will offer students at both universities an expanded range of experiences and academic exchanges. 

The Global Partnership Fund

With the renewal of the three-year collaboration, the joint Global Partnership Fund is expanded to cover new projects which include a symposium to showcase emerging technologies and the future of radiology for breast and body imaging, seminars to explore new frontiers in the burgeoning field of international legal history, as well as workshops in image guided surgery, flexible robotics, augmented reality, and transoral robotic surgery for Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. The partnership builds upon the pilot project established in 2016, which was focused on developing the relationship between the University of Chicago Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) and the University of Hong Kong Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS).

Undergraduate Student Exchange

UChicago and HKU also signed an extension of an agreement established in 2015 for undergraduate student exchange, which doubled the number of HKU students that may study at UChicago. Under the existing agreement, students from UChicago participating in quarter-long academic programs based at The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex | The University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong will be granted access to HKU’s campus and facilities. HKU students who have attended their first full year may apply to enroll at the UChicago for a year or fall quarter of study to take courses in Chicago as a part of their undergraduate degree.

“This collaboration has significantly benefited students from both institutions in the past two years, and we are excited for more achievements that will be brought about by its expansion,” said University of Hong Kong President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Xiang Zhang. “We are pleased to have expanded this global strategic partnership and continued to strengthen this important component of the University of Hong Kong’s internationalisation effort.”

“We are pleased to extend our partnership with the University of Hong Kong, and look forward to the opportunities it creates for yet more ambitious collaborations and exchanges in research and education,” said University of Chicago President Robert J. Zimmer. “This expansion reflects our deepening commitment to academic and scholarly engagement in Hong Kong.”

The renewed partnership with HKU is part of UChicago’s efforts to expand collaborations with research institutions and business organizations in the region, using its new facility in Hong Kong to facilitate intellectual exchange and engagement with scholars, researchers, students and alumni in Hong Kong and Asia.