Livelihood Affairs Bureau of Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin visits Lingnan for collaborative exchange with the School of Graduate Studies

On 18 May 2026, Ms Xu Fengmei, Deputy Director of the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin (the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin), led a delegation to visit Lingnan University (Lingnan). The delegation included Mr Lin Junfan, Deputy Director of the Social Security Division of Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, together with staff members Ms Peng Aifang, Ms Xia Li and Ms Huang Liyi. The School of Graduate Studies (GS) at Lingnan warmly received the delegation and held an exchange conference with them.

At the beginning of the conference, Prof Huang Genghua, Associate Professor of the GS, extended a sincere welcome to the delegation. He introduced Lingnan’s educational philosophy, provided an overview of its development, and outlined the taught postgraduate (TPg) programmes offered by the GS, which encompass cutting-edge areas such as health and social services, health analytics, and smart ageing.

Prof Dickson Chan Chak-kwan, Research Professor and Director of the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies at Lingnan, then shared the Institute’s principal work directions. He highlighted the core research themes centred on “ageing in place” and “cross‑border elderly care”, and elaborated on the importance of aligning future policy and service in “cross‑border elderly care”, taking into account population flows and ageing trend in the Greater Bay Area.

Prof Shi Cheng, Research Assistant Professor of the GS, provided a detailed introduction to three health-related TPg programmes offered by the GS: the Master of Social Sciences in Health and Social Services Management (MHSM), the Master of Science in Health Analytics and Management (HAM), and the Master of Science in Smart Ageing and Gerontology (SAG). She pointed out that as population ageing intensifies in Hong Kong and globally, all sectors of society should actively promote the interdisciplinary integration of multiple disciplines, including health sciences, public administration, social policy, information technology, and social services. She further emphasised that the application and management of smart healthcare and smart elderly care technologies will be critical in responding to the issues of an ageing society. These programmes are specifically designed to cultivate management and service professionals with interdisciplinary integration capabilities, enabling them to make good use of technology and data to address the challenges of an ageing society.

Dr Chloe Siu Pui-yee, Senior Lecturer of the GS, delivered a data-driven analysis of the current situation and challenges of population ageing in Hong Kong. She provided an in-depth introduction to the policies and measures of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China in relation to smart ageing, including the promotion of gerontechnology applications, the integration of community care services, and the development of elderly-friendly environments. She also shared insights from the LU Jockey Club Gerontech-X Lab, bringing out the importance of integrating theory with practice in cultivating professionals equipped to apply technology and data to tackle the challenges of an ageing society.

In addition, Ms Xu Fengmei outlined the functions and work priorities of the Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin. She stated that the Cooperation Zone in Hengqin has accumulated substantial experience and achieved notable outcomes in elderly care services, with specific initiatives including the piloting of community medical services, the promotion of the application of smart elderly care equipment, and the development of integrated medical and elderly care facilities. She also highlighted that the Bureau is actively building a multi tiered and comprehensive elderly care service system, and expressed the expectation that, through the academic resources and research strengths of universities in Hong Kong and Macao, service quality and policy effectiveness can be further enhanced. During the exchange conference, both parties engaged in preliminary discussions on future collaboration, covering areas such as student internships and exchanges, research translation, and the promotion and application of elderly care technologies.

Bringing the visit to a close, the delegation visited the LU Jockey Club Gerontech-X Lab to gain on-site insights into Lingnan’s achievements in gerontechnology research and development, teaching, and community application. The delegation expressed keen interest in projects such as smart assistive devices, the smart home environmental monitoring system, and virtual reality (VR) training programmes for older adults, stating that the possibility of establishing similar demonstration and training base in Hengqin could be explored in the future.