CUHK to bid for Hung Shui Kiu university town land
Chinese University of Hong Kong will bid for one of the first three sites in the Northern Metropolis University Town in Hung Shui Kiu, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Lo said, but warned that the government's staggered tendering process and high construction costs pose major challenges. In an interview with Ming Pao published on Friday, Lo said the university town project would allow the city's…
CUHK will bid for a site in Hung Shui Kiu's Northern Metropolis University Town, according to Vice-Chancellor Professor Dennis Lo, though he cautioned that high construction costs and the government's staggered tendering process present significant hurdles. In an interview with Ming Pao, Lo highlighted the opportunity the university town provides for Hong Kong's eight universities to expand their presence and impact.
He noted that while CUHK is currently small, the project could significantly increase the campus footprint. Lo emphasized the importance of scale for universities to conduct impactful research, claiming that campus size influences the number of researchers, patents, and publications. The university town would help overcome the space constraints facing CUHK.
He also mentioned the university's recent establishment of InnoHub for New Quality Industries in Qianhai, near Hung Shui Kiu, foreseeing potential synergies. Lo stated that the university is exploring collaborations with overseas institutions and industries at the university town but declined to disclose further details due to competition.
He predicted that the limited land availability might prompt the university to establish research institutes instead of full campuses. Additionally, Lo criticized the government's plan to tender the three university town locations—Hung Shui Kiu, San Tin, and Ta Kwu Ling—separately, arguing that it complicates planning and collaboration among universities.
Regarding financing, Lo expressed concerns about CUHK's ability to utilize the HK$10 billion loan fund earmarked by the government for campus development. He estimated that the available funds could only cover the construction of five buildings, urging the government to increase the funding.
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