The HK Prize and Xplorer Prize 2022
The Hong Kong Prize (HK Prize) is an innovation award that recognises and encourages scientific achievement by Hong Kong-based scientists of any race, nationality, gender or religion. It serves as Hong Kong’s highest honour for those who have made significant breakthroughs that have had global implications in their research fields. Awarded every two years to recognise outstanding accomplishments of these scientists while encouraging further development of scientific and technological innovation within Hong Kong itself, its purpose being both recognition of accomplishments while encouraging its furtherance.
At an award ceremony held on December 15th, winning projects were displayed to an enthusiastic and boisterous audience. Prize recipients included students from Diocesan Girls’ School for their project entitled “The Trembling Ground: A Study on the Early History of Hong Kong”, as well as an academic from Lui Cheung Kwong Lutheran College who won with his work titled “The Centennial History of Chinese General Chamber of Commerce”.
Additionally, the Hong Kong Phil was honored to receive an HK Prize in Musical Performance category for its four-year journey performing Wagner’s Ring Cycle. They would like to extend their gratitude towards Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Principal Patron Swire Group and music lovers in general for all of their support throughout this endeavor.
Professor FAN Zhiyong won another prestigious prize: Tencent Foundation’s Xplorer Prize 2022 (Ke Xue Tan Suo Jiang). This prestigious talent funding program for young scientists aged 45 or below in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau to conduct interdisciplinary research in frontier technologies or uncharted areas of basic sciences is one of China’s premier talent funding programmes.
The Xplorer Prize offers financial support in the form of a fixed amount over five years, along with mentorship and internship opportunities at top companies and access to professional networking events. It aims to encourage young scientists to pursue independent and exploratory research as well as strengthen communication and collaboration among researchers from different disciplines.
HKU students also made headlines at this year’s HK Prize competition with two teams winning Merit prizes for projects entitled, respectively: Microfluidics for Cellulose Microparticle Production” and Bio-mimetic Robotic System for Insect Pest Monitoring. Both of these projects can help enhance biopesticide application and provide safer alternatives than chemical insecticides.
The Hong Kong Prize is overseen by the Board of the Hong Kong Alliance of Technology and Innovation, comprised of three committees – Review Committee, Compliance Oversight Team and Secretariat. The Review Committee makes final selection decisions following an in-depth evaluation of candidates’ research achievements, their transformative practical applications as well as social or economic value created.