Media

SCUT, HKU and IBM to set up joint research centre

10 Mar 2005

 

South China University of Technology (SCUT), The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and IBM Corporation (IBM) will jointly set up a research centre for the development of a new breed of e-business technology, including the increasingly pervasive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology. The new laboratory will also work with businesses to commercialise its research results for the benefit of information technology (IT) development in China.

In this partnership, SCUT, the E-Business Technology Institute (ETI) of HKU and IBM will establish a joint research centre at SCUT's School of Computer Science and Engineering, providing an advanced experimentation environment for research and development (R&D) projects. SCUT, ETI and IBM will contribute technology and resources towards the centre. Through integration, the centre will leverage the brainpower of higher education and the technical strengths of the business community to initiate collaborative research projects in leading-edge and emerging technologies.

Besides focusing on R&D, the centre will help nourish technical professionals by providing a self-contained experimentation environment for students. It will also groom talented students to become skilful e-business professionals via internships in R&D and applications development projects. More importantly, it will foster exchanges between universities and enterprises, enabling new research results to be promptly transformed into applications of commercial value. As a facility endowed with brains and research resources, the centre also aims at serving the business community at large.

"We have maintained a close relationship with IBM since 1995, and the new research centre furthers our years of collaboration," said Professor Li Yuanyuan, President of SCUT. "By joining hands with HKU's e-business experts, we are now pooling the technical talent and resources of SCUT, HKU and IBM. The synergy effect thus created will definitely bring about more collaborative research projects in areas of common interest. SCUT looks forward to a fruitful partnership with HKU and IBM."

"As a research-oriented, comprehensive university, HKU has been working closely with well-known universities in China and the world. We are seeking further opportunities to cooperate with top universities in China as they continue to enhance their academic and research standards, talent resources and research environment. We also have the world-famous IT provider, IBM, as our partner. With the support of IBM's technical innovations and industry networking, we believe that our research results will create more values for businesses. Our target is to achieve results that benefit the three parties concerned," said Professor Tan Chung Jen, Director of ETI, HKU.

"Both SCUT and HKU are famous locally and internationally, each maintaining a high research and academic standard while having a strong R&D background. We are very pleased to be associated with SCUT and HKU in exploring a new breed of technology. IBM will actively support the RFID technology and applications development projects that the centre is embarking on by providing technical and industry expertise," said Qiu Xiaoping, Manager, University Relations Department, IBM Greater China Group.

SCUT and HKU are internationally acclaimed universities. IBM's strong relationship with SCUT began in 1995 when an IBM education program took root in SCUT, helping the university to train technical talents and enrich its computer studies. IBM's long-term partnership with HKU in research and education has been further strengthened since the establishment of ETI. IBM's technical strength and the two universities' brainpower and innovative research environment combine to form a solid foundation for the prosperous development of the new research centre.

About SCUT
South China University of Technology (SCUT), which is situated in Guangzhou, is one of China's key universities operating under the direct leadership of the State Ministry of Education. After more than 50 years of development, SCUT has become a multidisciplinary university of high reputation in South China and in the whole country, focusing on engineering, combined with science, also promoting well coordinated development of management, economics, humanities and law. SCUT has 3,880 teaching and researching staff, and 44,500 students, which have formed a complete talent cultivation system of bachelor degree, master degree and doctor degree.

For more information, please visit www.scut.edu.cn

About ETI
The E-Business Technology Institute (ETI) is an independent research and development organization within The University of Hong Kong that generates technologies, which are designed to benefit Hong Kong and the Greater China region. Established in September 1999, ETI is located at the center of the University of Hong Kong, with IBM China/Hong Kong as its core sponsor and technology partner. Notably, IBM has seconded distinguished scientist and father of the "Deep Blue" Supercomputer, Professor CJ Tan, to lead ETI as institute director.

ETI has made considerable progress in achieving its aim to become the pre-eminent center for e-business research, development and solutions in the region. Competent R&D teams have created innovative solutions in the areas of wireless security, RFID, Supply Chain Management Technology, pervasive computing, e-payment systems, XML data integration and management, business intelligence and data mining. The institute has also won government funding and corporate sponsorship worth more than HK$50 million. In addition, it has built a wide collaborative network with IBM research laboratories and top universities in China, and formed close partnerships with the local industry and international companies.

For more information, please visit www.eti.hku.hk.

About IBM
IBM, the world's largest information technology and business solutions company, is the global leader in innovative systems, services, consulting, research and financing that help organizations transform into on demand enterprises.

For more information, please visit www.ibm.com.

Media Contacts:

Mary Liu
SCUT
Tel: (86) 20 87110893
e-mail: FGLIU@SCUT.EDU.CN

Polo Leung
HKU
Tel: (852) 2859 2600
e-mail: plleung@hkucc.hku.hk

Florence Ma
IBM Hong Kong
Tel: (852) 2825 7626
e-mail: maky@hk1.ibm.com