Knowledge transfer for a better world

 

In recent years, the university has raised the bar in terms of its research excellence and knowledge transfer which benefit Hong Kong and society at large. To this end, the Knowledge Transfer Project Fund (KPF) was set up in 2015, and an Entrepreneurial Knowledge Transfer Fund in 2017, to encourage faculty members and students to extend their research findings or expertise to benefit the social, cultural or economic fabric of the community or related industry. The Knowledge Transfer Excellence Award was presented to two faculty members who conducted the award-winning KPF projects. 

 

The two awardees were Prof Sophia Law Suk-mun, Associate Professor of the Department of Visual Studies, and Prof Wei Xiangdong, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Professor of the Department of Economics.  Prof Law led a project called “Touching the Earth – Environmental Art Workshop at Lai Chi Wo”, which adopted the “creative nature connection” approach to induce a series of artful and nature-centred creativities to alert local students’ environmental awareness and to understand the rich natural and cultural resources in the area of Lai Chi Wo. Prof Wei’s project on “Promoting Effective e-learning Modes in Schools of Mainland China and Hong Kong” has built a partnership with Intel China and education bureaus in the mainland cities of Nanchang, Shaoyang, Zhaoqing and Zhongshan to promote the effective use of e-learning and reduce regional inequality in education.

 

“The term ‘knowledge transfer’, or KT, may easily be taken by the literal meaning of ‘passing on knowledge’,” said Mr Howard Ling, Chief Consultant, Social Enterprise Business Centre of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and one of the panel judges for the award. “Rather, it is the extension of academic research beyond academia, so that research output is channeled to reach out in order to make valuable changes and create benefits. Nowadays, KT is not just technology transfer for economic value. The social, economic and cultural impact of research is an increasingly significant criterion of a university’s overall performance.”  

 

When reviewing Lingnan’s KT projects, Ling was greatly impressed by the diversity and depth, as well as each researcher’s vision of reaching far and wide.

 

“I could see that the experience of the beneficiaries is always at the core,” Ling said.

 

Professor Joshua Mok, Vice-President of Lingnan University, noted that, as a liberal arts university, having the motto ‘education for service’ meant promoting human betterment.

 

“The awards presented today demonstrated our core determination, and successful efforts, to put our research into practice, effecting changes, and benefiting society at large,” Mok said. “We are not only producing high-quality research, but most important of all, inspiring our students to pursue the scholarly pathway and enjoy scholarship. We can all make Lingnan a preferred place for higher education.”

 

Professor Mok added that the University plans to further enhance its research capacity, with a focus on fostering more collaboration on a regional and international level to raise our quality of research and knowledge transfer, and to enrich our students’ learning experiences.