CUHK to bid for Hung Shui Kiu university town land

Chinese University of Hong Kong plans to bid for a site in the Northern Metropolis University Town in Hung Shui Kiu, according to Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Lo. However, Lo cautioned that the government's phased tendering process and expensive construction costs could pose significant hurdles. Lo emphasized that the university town would enable Hong Kong's eight universities to expand and enhance their societal impact.

He stressed that the university's current size is akin to a small boutique hotel, and this new opportunity to secure land for expansion is unprecedented. Lo highlighted the crucial role of campus size in producing impactful research, as it influences the number of researchers, patents, and publications. The university's recently established InnoHub in Qianhai, close to Hung Shui Kiu, suggests potential synergies with the university town.

Lo also hinted at future collaborations with overseas entities and industries at Hung Shui Kiu, though specifics remain undisclosed due to competitive bidding. He predicted that limited land availability might lead the university to prefer setting up smaller research institutes instead of full campuses. The staggered government tendering of the three sites — Hung Shui Kiu, San Tin, and Ta Kwu Ling — could complicate planning and collaboration among universities.

CUHK's Director of Finance, Lo, stated that while the government has allocated HK$10 billion for loans to aid campus development in the Northern Metropolis, construction costs are prohibitive. He estimated that the budget could only fund five buildings, urging the government to increase financial support.