Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, center, poses for a photo with Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum Prof Timothy W Tong, seventh left; Shaw Laureate Professor Steven A Balbus, fifth left; Shaw Laureate Professor John F Hawley, sixth left; Shaw Laureate Professor E Peter Greenberg, seventh right; Shaw Laureate Professor Simon DM White, sixth right; and other guests at the launching ceremony for the Hong Kong Laureate Forum at Government House, May 14, 2019. (PHOTO / INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HKSAR)
HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Laureate Forum, a gathering of world-renowned scientists and young researchers starting in 2021, will help cultivate local talent in innovation and technology as the city continues its foray in the sector, said Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Tuesday during the launching ceremony of the forum.
The one-week inaugural forum, to take place in November 2021, will see hundreds of young researchers around the world gather in Hong Kong, where they will meet with laureates of the Shaw Prize, dubbed the “Nobel of the East”, and join intellectual seminars, dialogues, and workshops.
We must ensure a sustainable flow of talent, which requires providing and promoting science and technology education in our schools at every level.
Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Chief Executive, Hong Kong
Set up as a youth-centered, science-driven and Hong Kong-based program, the Hong Kong Laureate Forum will create opportunities for young people to engage in dialogues with outstanding scientists and develop their interest in scientific research, Lam said.
To date, more than 50 Shaw laureates have expressed an interest in joining the inaugural forum, according to statistics of the Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum.
The Shaw Prize was established in 2002 in Hong Kong to recognize advances and outstanding contributions in astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences. A total of 79 scientists from 10 countries have been awarded the Shaw Prize since it was first presented in 2004, including 12 Nobel Prize awardees, five Fields Medalists and two Abel Prize recipients.
Education is also key, Lam added.
“We must ensure a sustainable flow of talent, which requires providing and promoting science and technology education in our schools at every level.”
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Lam emphasized that her goal is to develop Hong Kong into an international technology and innovation hub by making use of its unique advantages — its status as “Asia’s world city” and the “one country, two systems” principle.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor speaks at the launching ceremony of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum at the Government House Ballroom in Hong Kong, May 14, 2019. (PHOTO / INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HKSAR)
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has also set up platforms for innovation and to promote the commercial application of technological achievements, she added.
Timothy Tong Wai-cheung, chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, echoed Lam’s sentiments, saying the young minds inspired by the forum will have a great chance to make scientific breakthroughs.
The forum’s achievements will lead to technological innovations and benefit society in terms of economic growth and improve the quality of life, said Tong, who is also a former president of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, center, Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Laureate Forum Prof Timothy W Tong, left; and Chairman of the Shaw Prize Foundation Raymond Chan smile for the camera after two signing ceremonies during the launching ceremony for the Hong Kong Laureate Forum at Government House, May 14, 2019. (PHOTO / INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HKSAR)
Signing a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Laureate Forum, the Shaw Prize Foundation stressed that it will be committed to fostering exchanges between Shaw Prize laureates and young scientists from Hong Kong and around the world.
The Hong Kong Laureate Forum and the Lee Shau Kee Foundation signed a five-year sponsorship agreement, beginning this year, at the ceremony, which drew about 150 guests, including nearly 60 young scientists.
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