Lingnan’s President S. Joe Qin welcomes Financial Secretary Paul Chan’s 2026–27 Budget

Lingnan University President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science Prof S. Joe Qin welcomed the 2026–27 Budget delivered today by Financial Secretary Paul Chan, which included multiple policy initiatives related to education and innovation technology. Key points are as follows:

Development of AI+ and promotion of innovation and technology

Prof Qin is delighted with the Budget’s substantial support for the development of AI+ in the Hong Kong SAR (HKSAR). Regarding the government’s proposed allocation of HK$50 million to boost general AI literacy, and the establishment of the AI+ and Industry Development Strategy Committee to guide industrial transformation and development through AI, Prof Qin observed that artificial intelligence is not merely a trend in a single technological domain, but may be applied to solve real-world problems as a key foundational capability to drive Hong Kong’s overall economic transformation and enhance competitiveness, so that the promotion of AI+ is therefore an essential part of Hong Kong’s future development.

He also emphasised the importance of using AI responsibly, and of developing AI literacy and ethical awareness to help the HKSAR build a healthy and sustainable innovation ecosystem. By promoting AI knowledge and skills widely, students and professionals can deepen their understanding of data and AI tools, creating a larger talent pool for the digital era and enhancing the HKSAR’s workforce competitiveness.

The Committee on AI+ and Industry Development Strategy of experts, academics, and industry representatives will also accelerate the commercialisation of research from higher education institutions, strengthening industry–academic–research collaboration, and defining the HKSAR’s strategic positioning in the AI+ ecosystem, particularly in terms of technology development, industrial support, and a governance framework.

Lingnan has actively aligned itself with the national AI+ initiative, and through its interdisciplinary development strategy integrated AI+X training into its curricula. There is true potential in areas such as smart energy, industrial AI, and low-carbon technologies, and the University applies AI in combination with energy, materials, the environment, humanities, and social sciences to address the HKSAR’s re-industrialisation and carbon neutrality goals, and cultivate research-oriented talents with innovative capabilities and an international perspective.

The Hong Kong SAR’s first national manufacturing innovation centre outside the Chinese Mainland

Prof Qin noted that the HKSAR government’s plan to implement the Co‑operation Agreement on the Development of New Quality Productive Forces and the Promotion of New Industrialisation with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and to allocate approximately HK$220 million to establish its first national manufacturing innovation centre outside the Chinese Mainland, will advance new-type industrialisation.

He explained that the core of “new quality productivity” lies in using data, AI, and advanced manufacturing technologies to upgrade the industry. The government’s initiative is strategically significant, and will give the HKSAR a more important role in national industrialisation, as well as providing local universities with valuable platforms aimed at industry, accelerating the practical application of research and innovation.

President Qin pointed out that higher education institutions can assist the government as both a source of technology and a hub for talent. Lingnan itself has undergone a radical transformation, building interdisciplinary teams concentrating on data science and AI while retaining its liberal arts foundation. The teams focus on industrial data, smart energy, advanced materials, and humanitarian technology, working with industry to transform research into practical solutions that address real-world challenges rather than remaining theoretical or purely demonstrative.

Regarding the Lingnan-60 Global Talent Recruitment, Lingnan has recruited a number of top international scholars, and continually increases its research capabilities in foundational engineering areas such as industrial automation, AI optimisation, and scientific computation, allowing it to participate in major projects contributing to Hong Kong’s new-type industrialisation.

President Qin also suggested that the HKSAR might consider adopting a “light-asset, high-tech, sustainable, strong-translational” research model to create industrial value. Lingnan will continue to back government and national development strategies, he said, using industry–academic–research collaboration to provide support in research and talent to build it into an international centre for innovation and technology, and to advance re-industrialisation.