In line with the Hong Kong Government’s budget plan to develop the city’s biomedical science industry, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Harvard Medical School, Stanford University School of Medicine and University College London to set up the first international research centre in Hong Kong with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases early this month.

‘It aims to be part of a research cluster in the city, for which plans were announced in last year’s budget’, reported by South China Morning Post (SCMP). 

The consortium plans to launch the Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases and apply to join the Health@InnoHK research cluster programme, which is one of the first two clusters being set up by the Innovation and Technology Commission of HKSAR Government. One cluster is to focus on health care and the other one is in relation to artificial intelligence and robotics (AIR@InnoHK). Both clusters aim to be established in the Hong Kong Science Park by the second half of 2019, according to the Government’s website.

Comments by Karen Hsu, Education Services Manager (Hong Kong)

Hong Kong currently has the longest life expectancy in the world. In a recent report published by the Hong Kong Government - “Hong Kong Population Projections 2015-2064”, the number of elderly people (aged 65 or older) in Hong Kong will reach 2.58 million by 2064 (around 35.9% of the population). Meanwhile, the workforce of those aged between 15 to 64, will shrink to 3.92 million, approximately 54.6% of the population. 

What this statistic indicates is that Hong Kong is increasingly facing aging populations issues. Demand in workforce in the healthcare industry had never been higher due to the need to have high quality healthcare services, implied by a recent manpower report (from the Food and Health Bureau) looking into the demand and supply of professional workforce in the healthcare industry. 

Such increasing demand in healthcare workforce means that increasingly, more students are considering to pursue a career in the healthcare industry because of this high demand and shortage in healthcare professionals and also the satisfactory salary that comes with it. This trend coincides with British Council’s pre-registration data from last August’s Study UK Education exhibition, where Health Science (and STEAM related subjects) overtook business as the most popular subject area.

Sources:

• HKUST– Press Release: 
  HKUST Partners with Harvard Medical School, Stanford University School of Medicine, and University College London to establish Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases
   
• SCMP: Hong Kong university joins forces with top overseas institutions to set up city’s first international research centre on dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases
   
• Innovation & Technology Commission – InnoHK Clusters: www.itc.gov.hk/en/innohk/index.htm