A Hong Kong university establishing the city’s third medical school has pledged to commit more than HK$7 billion (US$899 million) to the project and has already recruited six clinical professors, including a former head of an Australian institution.
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) on Wednesday provided further details of its development plan, a day after the government revealed that the institution had been chosen to run the new medical school for its clear strategic positioning and strong financial capability, among other reasons.
“HKUST will be fully committed to supporting the operation of the medical school. The commitment would be more than HK$7 billion in the coming 25 years,” said the university’s president, Professor Nancy Ip Yuk-yu.
The funding includes HK$2 billion for an integrated medical school building to be constructed on the university’s Clear Water Bay campus.
Expected to be completed in 2028, the building will be located near the Shaw Auditorium and used as a teaching facility during an interim period before a medical school complex is built at Ngau Tam Mei in the Northern Metropolis, which is planned for completion around 2034.
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Health Secretary Lo Chung-mau said on Tuesday that HKUST’s financial commitment was roughly matched by government funding, on a ratio of about one to one.