CEFAR GBA CONNECT PROGRAMME EXECUTIVE SHARING SERIES

The first talk under the newly launched CEFAR GBA Connect Programme Executive Sharing Series was held on 20 November. Mr. Hong Wei Zhu, Payment Cloud President of Yeahka shared his insights under the topic “From Payment to Metaverse – Transformation of Offline Consumption in a Decade”. Mr. Eros Ye, Programme Lead of the CEFAR GBA Connect Programme and Director of Technology Centres China, Digital Business Services of HSBC China moderated the talk. Over 70 undergraduate and postgraduate FinTech students attended the talk and shared fruitful discussions with the speaker and the moderator after the event.

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2023 CUHK Conference on Financial Technology

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Details: conference.cefar.cuhk.edu.hk

CUHK Faculty of Engineering hosts Financial Technology Conference 2023 on the governance and risk management implications of generative AI and digital assets

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s Faculty of Engineering, with sponsorship from Hang Seng Bank and Deloitte China, hosted the 2023 CUHK Conference on Financial Technology (fintech) in hybrid mode yesterday(1 November).  The conference, with the theme “Generative AI and Digital Assets – Governance and Risk Management Perspectives”, attracted more than 600 attendees, including industry practitioners, government officials, regulators, academics, researchers and students, who delved into the governance and risk management issues in connection with generative AI and digital assets. The event was supported by CUHK Business School, CUHK Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy (CEFAR Academy), the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, and the Centre for Financial Engineering.

The officiating guests at the conference were Professor Alan K.L. Chan, Provost of CUHK; Mr Joseph H.L. Chan, JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury in the government of the Hong Kong SAR; Professor Tsang Hon-ki, Interim Dean of CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering; Mr Ivan K.B. Lee, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology in the government of the Hong Kong SAR; Ms Vivien W.M. Chiu, Chief Operating Officer of Hang Seng Bank; and Mr Ted Ho, Partner of Deloitte China.

Experts from the banking, technology and legal sectors together with CUHK scholars delivered three panel discussions, a series of talks and a fireside chat session, sharing their insights on the opportunities, risks, challenges and governance associated with generative AI and digital assets, and how the capabilities of these advanced AI technologies can be enhanced through academia-industry partnership.

In his opening address, Professor Alan K.L. Chan, Provost of CUHK, said, “CUHK is delighted to organise this remarkable conference on our campus, which provides a platform for finance and technology professionals, regulators and government leaders, academics, researchers and students to engage in insightful discussions and to exchange knowledge.” He stressed that “Hong Kong needs to nurture fintech talents who can address challenges related to emerging technologies and new transaction models. By offering the city’s first Fintech bachelor’s and master’s degrees, CUHK is the pioneer in fintech education in Hong Kong.”

“With tremendous access to potential clients, business partners and investors here, as many financial institutions have their regional headquarters or biggest regional presence in the city, Hong Kong is the ideal place for fintech companies to start up and scale up,” said Mr Joseph H.L. Chan, JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury of the Hong Kong SAR government. “But this mission is not solitary; it is a collaborative effort with vital partners like CUHK, whose contributions to talent development and innovative research empower Hong Kong to continually push the boundaries of fintech possibilities.” He further emphasised the city’s commitment to financial inclusion, highlighting that from the launch in October 2022 of the Commercial Data Interchange, a Hong Kong Monetary Authority initiative to encourage data sharing, to the end of June 2023, it had processed over 4,900 loan applications, totalling about HK$4.4 billion.

Professor Tsang Hon-ki, Interim Dean of CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering, added, “CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering recognises the importance of collaboration with industry and regulatory bodies to enhance talent development and to address potential problems and solutions associated with the latest technologies. We have been keen on fostering a close relationship with regulators and the fintech industry. Under the CEFAR Academy established in 2020, applied research projects in various domains of financial technologies address real-life problems identified by sponsoring organisations. This year, we received enthusiastic responses from those organisations, and collected a record number of over 70 problem statements.”

Ms Vivien Chiu, Chief Operating Officer at Hang Seng Bank, said, “Innovation is a cornerstone of Hang Seng Bank’s brand values. We operate a bank-wide innovation programme, Fintecubator, dedicated to embracing creative new methods of work and integrating fintech solutions. Our aim is to equip staff with future-ready skills and employ emerging technologies to enhance our customer services. Our collaboration extends to partners such as regulators and academics, fostering new ideas and talent development in Hong Kong. Hang Seng is committed to further supporting fintech development locally and in the Greater Bay Area by spearheading industry projects and making meaningful contributions to the community.”

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Officiating guests: (From left) Ms Vivien Chiu, Chief Operating Officer of Hang Seng Bank, Mr Wai Ming Lau, Assistant Commissioner of Innovation and Technology (representing Mr Ivan Lee, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology), Mr Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Professor Alan K. L. Chan, CUHK Provost, Professor Tsang Hon-ki, CUHK’s Interim Dean of Engineering, and Mr Ted Ho, Partner of Deloitte.

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Professor Alan K. L. Chan, CUHK Provost, delivers a welcome speech.

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Mr Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, delivers a speech at the conference’s opening ceremony.

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Professor Tsang Hon-ki, Interim Dean of Engineering, said that the Faculty of Engineering has been keen on fostering a close relationship with regulators and the fintech industry.

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Mr Ivan Lee, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, joins a tour of the booths with other guests.

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The conference attracted more than 600 attendees, including industry practitioners, government officials, regulators, academics, researchers and students, who explored generative AI and digital assets’ governance and risk management implications.

CEFAR MENTORSHIP PROGRAMME NETWORKING DINNER

To enhance the communication among mentors and mentees, the CEFAR Academy held a mentorship programme networking dinner on 23 May following the Fintech Seminar Series. The guest speaker of the seminar, Ms. Charlotte Wong, HSBC Chief Information Officer, also joined the dinner as the Guest of Honour. All participants had a great time and led fruitful discussions at the dinner.

In the 2022-23 academic year, a mentorship programme has been launched as one of the initiatives of the CEFAR Academy for students of the Master of Science in Financial Technology. The seven students selected for the mentorship programme were among the recipients of the UGC’s Targeted Taught Postgraduate Fellowships Schemes. They were each paired with a mentor who is a member of the Advisory Committee of the CEFAR Academy. The mentorship programme aims to connect students with industry and fintech leaders to advance and accelerate their career goals and personal advancement.

CEFAR Awards 2022-23 Presentation Ceremony cum Tea Reception

The CEFAR Annual Awards aim to recognize students who have engaged in a FinTech industrial project as lined up by the CEFAR Academy (i.e. CEFAR Project) for attainment of academic credits and delivering outstanding performance by demonstrating their ability and skills in analysing a real-life business problem and applying extensive knowledge and concepts to derive proper solutions and deliverables for the project.


In the academic year 2022-23, four awards have been introduced in order to recognize the students who had excellent results in delivering the projects with impact in specific areas.

The four CEFAR awards are namely:
• CEFAR Award (Diamond)
• CEFAR Award (Gold) 
• CEFAR Award (Silver) 
• CEFAR Award (Honorable Mention)

 

Selected candidates were invited to attend a poster presentation session introducing their projects to the judging panel for competition of the awards. The poster presentation session and award presentation ceremony were held on 22 Apr. 
 

Awardees: 

LIAO Zhongmin

CEFAR Award (Diamond)

LI Tingxuan

CEFAR Award (Gold)

ZHANG Jiahao

CEFAR Award (Silver)

JIANG Xueting

CEFAR Award (Honorable Mention)

(From left to right:

   - Prof. Martin D.F. Wong, Dean, CUHK Faculty of Engineering

    - Mr. David Chan, Chief Operating Officer, HK Applied Science and Technology Research Institute

    - Mr. Eric Chan, Chief Public Mission Officer, HK Cyberport

    - Ms. Karry Chung, Manager of Hong Kong Monetary Authority

    - Prof. Tan Lee, Associate Dean, CUHK Faculty of Engineering

    - Prof. Chun Kwong Chan, Programme Director, MSc FinTech, CUHK Faculty of Engineering)

    

CEFAR Award Presentation Ceremony cum Tea Reception

The CEFAR Annual Awards aim to recognize students who have engaged in a FinTech industrial project as lined up by the CEFAR Academy (i.e. CEFAR Project) for attainment of academic credits and delivering outstanding performance by demonstrating their ability and skills in analysing a reallife business problem and applying extensive knowledge and concepts to derive proper solutions and deliverables for the project.

In the academic year 2021-22, three awards have been introduced in order to recognize the students who had excellent results in delivering the projects with impact in specific areas. The three CEFAR awards are namely:

• Business Model Innovation Award
• Technology Innovation Award
• Industry Adoption Award

An award presentation ceremony was held on 6 Feb.

HAN Tianyang
Award: Industry Adoption Award
Sponsor company: Alphabrain HK Limited, with the project title of Evolution of Alpha Hotpot

ZHANG Jiawei, Jenny
Award: Business Model Innovation Award
Sponsor company: Hang Seng Bank, with the project title of Visionary Risk Analytics Engine

CHEN Ming
Award: Technology Innovation Award
Sponsor company: RPA HK Limited, with the project title of Build a Portfolio of Automated Process

香港:下一個虛擬資產中心?

探討虛擬資產的發行/代幣化/交易/支付/資產管理/存管及各種金融創新帶來的機遇。希望這次能把政府決策高層,業界精英,商會領袖,及一些中大創業公司聚集,一起來討論香港未來虛擬資產生態的發展!

Date and time: 

Location: TOWER 535 1001B,10/F, 535 Jaffe Road Hong Kong, HKI

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/492746075777

議程[下午2點至6點]

歡迎和介紹 Welcome and Introduction

爐邊談話 Fireside Chat 1

爐邊談話 Fireside Chat 2

簡報 Presentation

休息 Networking Break

專題討論1:香港虛擬資產生態圈發展 HK Virtual Asset Ecosystem Development

專題討論2:虛擬資產/金融科技初創公司對談 Virtual Asset/Fintech Startups Panel

2022 CUHK Conference on Financial Technology

Details: conference2022.cefar.cuhk.edu.hk

CUHK Faculty of Engineering holds Financial Technology

Conference 2022 on new developments in the digital

economy: metaverse, web3 and beyond

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s Faculty of Engineering hosted the 2022 CUHK Conference on Financial Technology (FinTech) in hybrid mode today (3 November). The conference, “New developments in the digital economy: metaverse, web3 and beyond”, attracted more than 700 attendees, including industry practitioners, academics, researchers, government officials and financial regulators, to explore the potential of the metaverse and web3 technologies. The event was supported by CUHK Business School, CUHK Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy (CEFAR Academy), Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, Centre for Financial Engineering, and The Asia-Pacific Institute of Business, and sponsored by Hang Seng Bank, CASH Financial Services Group and HKT.

Officiating guests at the conference were Professor Rocky S. Tuan, CUHK Vice-Chancellor and President, Mr Joseph Chan, the Hong Kong government’s Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Ms Rebecca Pun, its Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Laurie Pearcey, CUHK Associate Vice-President (External Engagement and Outreach), Professor Martin D.F. Wong, Dean of CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering, Professor Zhou Lin, Dean of CUHK Business School, and Ms Vivien W.M. Chiu, Hang Seng Bank’s Chief Operating Officer.

CUHK scholars and experts from the banking, technology and insurance services delivered three panel discussions, a series of featured talks and a fireside chat, giving their insights on the metaverse ecosystem and its industry applications, the transformation of industries in the age of web3, innovation in the digital economy, risks and opportunities, and other related topics (please see appendix for the guest speaker list).

Professor Rocky S. Tuan, CUHK Vice-Chancellor and President, said, “This conference is part of the FinTech Education Series, which is a satellite event of the Hong Kong FinTech Week 2022, as well as the sixth annual FinTech conference hosted by CUHK. FinTech is an essential area of Hong Kong’s future economy, and is a great example of where the city can serve as the connective tissue between the rest of the world and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. If FinTech is to realise its full potential, universities have a critical enabling role in powering discoveries and adding technical and education know-how and making industry more competitive.”

Mr Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, said, “Hong Kong is Asia’s leading international financial centre, leading on various league tables in the region. FinTech companies can enjoy tremendous access to potential clients, investors and business partners. With the advantages of our international network and preferential access to the mainland market, as well as our friendly and supportive measures for FinTech development, Hong Kong is the destination choice for FinTech companies to start up and scale up.”

Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, said, “To embrace the opportunities, Hong Kong must further enhance its I&T ecosystem and this process would surely be facilitated with the country’s full support as illustrated in the National 14th Five-Year Plan and the Government’s firm commitment to foster Hong Kong’s development into an international I&T centre. We are going full speed ahead to consolidate our strengths in research and development capabilities and facilitate collaboration among industry, academic and research sectors.”

Professor Martin D.F. Wong, CUHK’s Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, added, “CUHK is keen to strengthen its educational exchanges and cooperation with industry and the government, and to explore new opportunities in FinTech development. Talent, to be sure, is crucial in capturing FinTech’s promise, today and tomorrow. In CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering, we have launched FinTech programmes at undergraduate and master’s levels, developing a steady pipeline of FinTech talents equipped with strong applied research capabilities to meet industry demands.”

Ms Vivien Chiu, Hang Seng Bank’s Chief Operating Officer, said, “FinTech is a major theme in the future development of banking. Hang Seng’s early and ongoing investments in technology have made us a pioneer in digitising our banking services in Hong Kong. Through the smart use of technologies and innovative digital solutions, we are continually enhancing our ability to provide customers with greater convenience, more secure experiences and personalised choices. Hang Seng will continue to support and enable Hong Kong’s FinTech development by participating in industry projects and applying our expertise in serving the community.”

Attachment

About guest speakers and CUHK

Professor Rocky S. Tuan, CUHK Vice-Chancellor and President delivers a welcome speech.

Mr Joseph Chan, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau delivers his speech at the conference’s opening ceremony via a pre-recorded video.

Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology addresses at the conference.

Professor Martin D.F. Wong, Dean of CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering says that CUHK is keen to strengthen its educational exchanges and cooperation with industry and the government, and to explore new opportunities in FinTech development.

The conference attracted more than 700 attendees, including industry practitioners, academics, researchers, government officials and financial regulators, to explore the potential of the metaverse and web3 technologies.

2022 CUHK FinTech Conference Booklet:

2021 CUHK Conference on Financial Technology

Details: https://conference2021.cefar.cuhk.edu.hk/

CUHK FACULTY OF ENGINEERING HOLDS FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY

CONFERENCE 2021: TOWARDS A DIGITALISED SOCIETY -

DIGITAL ASSETS & PLATFORMS

The Faculty of Engineering of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) hosted the “2021 CUHK Conference on Financial Technology (FinTech)” in hybrid mode today (2 November). This special event was sponsored by the Hang Seng Bank and supported by the CUHK Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy (CEFAR Academy), the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, the Centre for Financial Engineering (CFE), the Centre for Innovation and Technology (CINTEC), and CUHK Business School. The conference titled “Towards a Digitalised Society – Digital Assets & Platforms” attracted 800 attendees including industry practitioners, academicians, researchers, government officials and regulators to discuss the developments in digitalisation of assets and platforms which are playing important roles in business transactions.

The conference was officiated at by Professor Rocky S. TUAN, Vice-Chancellor and President, CUHK, Mr. Joseph CHAN, JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, Ms Rebecca PUN, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Professor Martin D.F. WONG, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK, Professor Lin ZHOU, Dean, CUHK Business School, and Mrs. Eunice CHAN, Chief Operating Officer, Hang Seng Bank. CUHK scholars and experts from banking, technology, insurance, and entertainment sectors were invited to share their views on the development of stablecoins, digital currencies, cyber security, digital platforms for supply chains, digitisation of cash management, and other related topics.

Professor Rocky S. TUAN, Vice-Chancellor and President of CUHK said, “The University is keen to strengthen its educational exchanges and cooperation with industry and the government, and to explore new opportunities in FinTech development. We are confident that the tripartite partnership between the government, academia and industry will continue to stimulate growth of the FinTech ecosystem and further galvanise the development of FinTech in Hong Kong and beyond.”

Mr. Joseph CHAN, JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, said, “Hong Kong ranked first in Asia and third in the world in the Global Financial Centres Index published last month. With the advantages of our international network and preferential access to the market of mainland China, as well as our friendly and supportive policy measures for FinTech development, Hong Kong is the destination choice for FinTech companies to start up and scale up. Many financial institutions and multinational companies set up their Asia regional headquarters or their biggest Asian business presence here in Hong Kong. This is the ideal place for the development of FinTech business as FinTech companies enjoy tremendous access to potential clients, investors and business partners.”

Ms Rebecca PUN, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, said, “We are pushing forward the development of FinTech in our pursuit of making Hong Kong an international innovation and technology hub. We will continue to invest in infrastructure, research and development, as well as talent. Together with our country’s staunch support for Hong Kong’s I&T development, there are many opportunities for our FinTech community to tap into.”

Professor Martin D.F. WONG, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK, said, “This conference is one of the core events of the HK FinTech Week 2021. The Faculty of Engineering is pleased to host this conference and to take full advantage of this opportunity to bring together the academia and industry participants to explore and to carry out fruitful discussions on this year’s theme ‘Towards a Digitalised Society’ and to promote future collaboration opportunities.”

Professor Lin ZHOU, Dean, CUHK Business School, said, “CUHK Business School is delighted to be part of this year’s conference which sees a strong collaboration between our University and the industry. Such partnership is essential for the creation of new opportunities in the FinTech sector.”

Mrs. Eunice Chan, Chief Operating Officer, Hang Seng Bank, said, “FinTech is a key element in the digitialisation of society. Hang Seng is actively collaborating with FinTech ecosystem partners and participating in the development of FinTech solutions for society. We are delighted to be partnering with The Chinese University of Hong Kong and to be helping to nurture FinTech talent through designated industrial projects, internships and scholarships. We look forward to these bright minds sharing their creative ideas with Hang Seng and to seeing them further develop these ideas into projects that will benefit our community.”

Other guest speakers participating in the two panel discussion sessions included Mr. Raymond CHENG, Advisory Committee Chairman, CUHK Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy, Ms. Brit BLAKENEY, Executive Director, Innovation & Ecosystems, DBS Bank (HK) Ltd, Mr. Thor CHAN, CEO, AAX, Mr. Nike KONG, Chief Information Officer, Hang Seng Bank. Mr. Henry CHONG, Chief Executive Officer, FUSANG, Mr. Alun JOHN, Asia Regulation Correspondent, Reuters News, Mr. Joseph CHAN, Chief Digitisation Officer, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr. Patrick KHONG, Head of Data and Architecture, Hang Seng Bank, Ms. Rebecca SHAO, Head of Data and Research and Head of Asia Pacific, The Floor, and Ms Cristina NG, Senior Manager, Payment Services, Open Rice. The speakers shared their views on the current and future developments of digital assets and platforms in the FinTech age. A number of demonstrations were made in the conference, including “Unsupervised Detection of Money Laundering Activities via Diffusion Model” initiated by the academicians and the students of the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, CUHK and projects in receipt of CEFAR Awards for solutions by FinTech applications in the banking services.

About the CUHK Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy (CEFAR Academy)
The CUHK Engineering FinTech Applied Research Academy (CEFAR Academy) was established by the Faculty of Engineering, CUHK in 2020. The Academy aims to develop a pipeline for those with FinTech talents who meet the demands of the FinTech industry through engaging them in real-life applied research projects in FinTech applications and providing them a platform that can interact with the industry. Since its establishment, the Academy has actively collaborated and partnered with experts from government/neo-government organisations, commercial organisations and professional bodies, universities, and research institutes to provide research and internship opportunities for talents development of the FinTech industry.

About the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, CUHK
The Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management was established in 1991 with a vision to create and disseminate knowledge and technologies of systems engineering and engineering management for an ever changing society. It offers undergraduate programmes including the Bachelor of Engineering in Financial Technology (B.Eng. in FinTech), and taught and research Masters and PhD programmes with more than 600 current students in the Department. To meet foreseeable strong demand for FinTech professionals in the coming decades, the B.Eng. in FinTech was launched in the academic year 2017/18, the first of its kind in Hong Kong. The programme aims to nurture leadership and entrepreneurship among the next generation of local talent in support of Hong Kong’s endeavour to grow into an international FinTech hub.

About CUHK Business School
CUHK Business School has blazed a trail for business education in Hong Kong and Asia since 1963, cultivating high achieving graduates who steer and shape the global business landscape. This spirit of leadership and innovation goes to the very core of its legacy as the first business school in Asia to offer a full suite of BBA, MBA, and Executive MBA programmes. Today, its world class faculty and cutting edge research continue to develop successful leaders, entrepreneurs, and social stewards with a proud network of more than 40,000 alumni making a meaningful impact in the Pearl River Delta and beyond.

About the Centre for Financial Engineering, CUHK
The Centre for Financial Engineering (CFE) comprises a strong group of experts in the quantitative aspects of finance including computer science, finance, mathematics and statistics. Established in 2013, CFE has achieved some remarkable progress in assembling research teams and organising seminars, conferences, distinguished lectures and short courses. It is currently offering a Master of Science programme in Financial Engineering. Its vision is to develop a multidisciplinary centre in financial engineering and financial technology renowned for the quality of its people and research, and train the next generation of leading academics and industrial leaders in the area.

About the Centre for Innovation and Technology, CUHK
The Centre for Innovation and Technology (CINTEC) is the technology transfer arm of the Faculty of Engineering, CUHK. Serving as a key bridge between the Faculty and the industry, CINTEC promotes communications, facilitates collaboration, and fosters technology transfer and commercialisation through a wide variety of meetings, conferences, exhibitions and discussion forums. The Centre also showcases the University’s latest research and technical achievements at the online platform CINTEC Online Exhibition, enabling the industry to explore potential projects for commercialisation. It also offers various types of incubation support, including coaching, infrastructure, and business connections to students and faculty entrepreneurs so that they can ultimately turn their innovations into business startups.

(From left) Professor Lin ZHOU, Dean, CUHK Business School, CUHK, Mr. Laurie PEARCEY, Associate Vice-President, CUHK, Ms Rebecca PUN, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Professor Rocky S. TUAN, Vice-Chancellor and President, CUHK, Mr. Joseph CHAN, JP, Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, Mrs. Eunice CHAN, Chief Operating Officer, Hang Seng Bank, and Professor Martin D.F. WONG, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK.

Professor Rocky S. TUAN, Vice-Chancellor and President, CUHK delivers a welcoming speech.

A group photo of the Guest of Honour, speakers, sponsors and representatives from supporting organisations and the organising committee.

A number of demonstrations are presented in the conference.