President S. Joe Qin welcomes the Hong Kong SAR’s First Five- Year Plan and 2026 Policy Address
Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, welcomes Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan and the 2026 Policy Address delivered by Mr John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR on 16 September.
President Qin said that Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan, which devotes policy measures relating to the Northern Metropolis, education, talent development, and innovation and technology research, sets out a comprehensive plan for Hong Kong’s development over the next five years. He considers this an important practical step in helping Hong Kong to actively integrate into the overall development of the country, in alignment with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, with the 2026 Policy Address further setting out concrete policy measures to progressively implement the relevant development directions. The two documents are closely connected and make full use of Hong Kong’s strengths and complementary advantages, particularly by strengthening collaboration in higher education, innovation and technology, and talent development, thereby making use of Hong Kong’s unique advantages and contributing to long-term, high-quality economic development.
He welcomes the Government’s plan to increase the number of University Grants Committee-funded research postgraduate places by approximately 30 per cent, from the current 7,200 to 9,600, by the 2030/31 academic year. Due to the capacity expansion of post-secondary education, Lingnan will be able to increase postgraduate participation in interdisciplinary research projects, including “liberal arts + technology” and “AI+”, to address real-world challenges and nurture more research-oriented talent for the Hong Kong SAR and the country.
President Qin emphasised that to seize the opportunities presented by AI development, Hong Kong should not only advance upstream research and the translation of research outcomes, but also place greater emphasis on education and talent development to establish an AI system linking research, education, and applications across society. As a member of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute (AIRDI), he will bring Lingnan’s practical experience in AI education, talent development, and research over the past few years to the AIRDI and contribute to Hong Kong’s AI progress.
In addition, President Qin welcomes the Government of the Hong Kong SAR’s efforts to expedite the development of the Northern Metropolis University Town and the integration of Hong Kong’s areas of academic strength in post-secondary education with industry. As the University closest to the Hung Shui Kiu University Town, Lingnan has in recent years actively expanded its cooperation with leading institutions in the Chinese Mainland and overseas. In August, the University established the innovation and entrepreneurship platform “LU Xcelerator” (LUX) to accelerate innovation collaboration across government, industry, academia, research, and investment. As the Northern Metropolis University Town grows, Lingnan will actively establish partnerships with more leading research institutions and industries, extending its research strengths in AI and data science to the development of the Northern Metropolis.