CityUHK and National Strategy – Greater Bay Area, Belt and Road, and the International I&T Hub
This article belongs to the CityU Wild History 09 Internationalisation Module (Part 2, Section 3). It provides a neutral, fact-first account of the City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK)’s role within the national and Hong Kong development strategies. All information is current as of June 2026. This archive’s stance: we record only traceable facts and public statements by CityUHK and the government, and we neither evaluate nor endorse the policies themselves. Where named current leadership is mentioned, they are referred to solely by their official titles. For the Dongguan campus, see
mainland-and-greater-bay-area.md; for the Shenzhen and mainland research institute network, seemainland-and-greater-bay-area-2.md.
Hong Kong, as a Special Administrative Region, is positioned as an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub by documents such as the national 14th Five-Year Plan, China’s medium-term development blueprint. The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China’s global infrastructure and cooperation strategy, serve as the two related national strategic priorities. As one of the eight statutory universities funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), CityUHK is both embedded in and actively engages with this strategic landscape. This article objectively records CityUHK’s role and public actions across three dimensions: the international I&T hub, GBA integration, and Belt and Road overseas cooperation.
1. The International I&T Hub: InnoHK and Hetao
1.1 InnoHK Research Centres
InnoHK is the Hong Kong SAR government’s flagship scheme to position Hong Kong as a global research collaboration hub, funding local and overseas institutions to establish joint research centres in Hong Kong. Partnering with leading scholars from abroad, CityUHK has set up several world-class research centres under the InnoHK framework, spanning fields such as health engineering, multidimensional data analysis, and AI and robotics. These centres were founded in collaboration with scholars from institutions including Oxford, Columbia, and the Karolinska Institute.
On 26 March 2026, CityUHK announced that two of its joint proposals with world-renowned universities had been selected to establish two world-class research centres※ under the government’s third batch of InnoHK research clusters, “SEAM@InnoHK”.
The research content, naming, and partner details of each InnoHK centre fall within the scope of the 04 Research Module; this article records only their function as institutional vehicles for CityUHK’s participation in the national and Hong Kong I&T strategy.
1.2 The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone
The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (the Lok Ma Chau Loop) is a platform on the Shenzhen-Hong Kong boundary within the GBA, designated specifically for Shenzhen-Hong Kong research collaboration. CityUHK has established the Institute of Materials Science (Futian) within the Hetao (Shenzhen Park), adopting a “one institute, two zones” model that bridges Shenzhen and Hong Kong (see mainland-and-greater-bay-area-2.md). On 20 November 2024, CityUHK publicly welcomed※ the Development Outline for the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, signalling that it would seize the Hetao opportunities to advance Shenzhen-Hong Kong research cooperation.
2. Integrating into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area
CityUHK’s moves into the GBA can be divided into two tracks: education delivery and research translation.
| Track | Vehicle | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Joint education | City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) | A partnership between CityUHK and Dongguan University of Technology, located in Songshan Lake. Opened in 2024 with an emphasis on applied technology (see mainland-and-greater-bay-area.md). |
| Research translation / incubation | Shenzhen Research Institute, Institute of Materials Science (Futian), and research institutes in Chengdu, Qingdao, and Hangzhou | Platforms in multiple mainland cities that channel CityUHK research outcomes into industrial application (see mainland-and-greater-bay-area-2.md). |
| Entrepreneurship cultivation | HK Tech 300 | CityUHK’s start-up programme, which has expanded to several mainland cities (see the 04 Research Module). |
According to a China Daily Online report on 23 October 2024, CityUHK has formed strategic partnerships with first-class academic and industrial institutions at home and abroad※ to jointly drive research translation and innovation. CityUHK’s public statements emphasise that the nation has positioned Hong Kong as an international I&T hub, and that Hong Kong can pursue integrated development with the entire GBA; establishing an educational presence in Dongguan aligns precisely with this national strategic positioning, with an emphasis on applied technology (cited from public remarks by the CityUHK Vice-President (Academic), referenced by title).
Neutrality note: the above consists of public statements by CityUHK and official or media sources, and constitutes an institutional self-portrayal and policy-context statement. This archive records their content and attribution exactly as given, and makes no judgement on the effectiveness or direction of the GBA or I&T policies themselves.
3. The Belt and Road Initiative: Extending Overseas Cooperation
CityUHK views markets along the Belt and Road as one direction for expanding its overseas cooperation. A representative case is Kazakhstan:
- 30 November 2023: CityUHK signed a cooperation agreement with Satbayev University in Kazakhstan, establishing a strategic partnership※ and planning joint education programmes in materials science, AI, and other fields, as well as setting up a “CityUHK School” on Satbayev’s campus. The visit aligned with a Hong Kong SAR government delegation, with one of its aims being to build bridges in innovation, technology, and talent between Hong Kong and Belt and Road countries.
- 3 June 2026: CityUHK deepened its collaboration※ with Satbayev University, jointly exploring executive education programmes, short courses, and lectures in AI and digital development.
In addition, CityUHK’s public materials reference international collaborations in areas such as KU Leuven in Belgium (science and engineering) and EPFL in Switzerland (a joint institute for materials science innovation, aimed at promoting new materials technology in Belt and Road countries). The university has also indicated that it is in talks with counterparts in Turkey and Hungary (cited from public remarks by CityUHK representatives, referenced by title; information on negotiations remains in progress and is subject to subsequent official announcements by CityUHK).
4. Summary of the Positioning (Neutral)
Synthesising the three dimensions, CityUHK’s role in the national and Hong Kong strategies can be neutrally described as:
- A research vehicle for the international I&T hub: undertaking research collaboration through its international network, via platforms such as InnoHK and Hetao.
- A node for education delivery and research translation in the Greater Bay Area: implementing teaching and commercialising research outcomes through CityUHK (Dongguan), Shenzhen, and other mainland research institutes.
- A cooperative bridge for the Belt and Road Initiative: extending to markets along the Belt and Road through overseas partners like Satbayev University.
These three roles flow naturally from CityUHK’s identity as one of the world’s most international universities—its global network serves both worldwide collaboration and as a resource for aligning with national strategies. This archive simply records that factual structure, and does not evaluate the policy orientations involved.
Sources
- CityUHK welcomes Development Outline for Hetao HK Park (CityUHK, 20 Nov 2024) — Official
- CityUHK to establish two world-class research centres under SEAM@InnoHK (CityUHK, 26 Mar 2026) — Official
- CityUHK and Satbayev University sign a cooperation agreement (CityUHK, 30 Nov 2023) — Official
- CityUHK deepens collaboration with Satbayev University (CityUHK, 3 Jun 2026) — Official
- CityUHK forms strategic partnerships with first-class academic and industrial institutions at home and abroad (China Daily Online, 23 Oct 2024) — News
- InnoHK centres demonstrate CityU’s research capacity (CityUHK College of Engineering) — Official
Cross-references
- City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) · Shenzhen and Mainland Research Institute Network · Global Partnerships and Exchange
Criteria for Future Updates
This article was formed by merging several short cards from an older module and then splitting the result by theme. Future updates will only be admitted into the main text from three types of sources: first, primary materials such as the university’s official website, annual reports, faculty and school websites, and regulatory or ranking bodies; second, verifiable facts from reliable media, student media, or public archives; third, public timelines that explain institutional changes. Single screenshots, undated rumours, unsourceable ranking slogans, or personal opinions may only serve as leads for verification and must never be written directly as facts.
If this article once again expands beyond 12,000 words, it may be split further; if only an additional year, institution, or a discrete controversy is needed, it should continue to be merged here, avoiding the creation of yet another thin card.