54 Engineering projects awarded over HK$47 million in RGC’s GRF and ECS funding

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2026-07-16
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The Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong recently announced the funding results of the 2026/27 General Research Fund (GRF) and Early Career Scheme (ECS). Scholars from CUHK Faculty of Engineering have secured support for 54 projects with total funding of over HK$47 million.

 

The 7 Principal Investigators from Faculty of Engineering who received funding from the ECS are, in alphabetical order of family name: Professor Kong Qiuqiang from the Department of Electronic Engineering, Professor Li Zhongyu from the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, Professor Liang Zhiding from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Professor Shao Baihao from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Professor Xue Ying from the Department of Electronic Engineering, and Professor Zhang Hanrui from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

 

The 47 Principal Investigators who received funding from the GRF are (in alphabetical order of family name from respective Departments): Professor Chang Hing Chiu Charles,  Professor Gao Zhaoli,  Professor Ho Yi Ping, Professor Li Tiantian, Professor Mao Chuanbin and Professor Yuan Wu from the Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor James Cheng, Professor Fu Chi-Wing, Professor Irwin King, Professor Shao Zili, and Professor Yang Ming-Chang from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering; Professor Gao Huxin,  Professor Gao Shichang,  Professor Hu Guohua, Professor Lai Jiewen, Professor Leung Alex Ka-nang, Professor Li Jizhou, Professor Long Yi, Professor Ma Wing Kin,  Professor Pun Kong Pang, Professor Ren Hongliang, Professor Stolterfoht Martin, Professor Xu Jianbin, Professor Yuan Yixuan, and  Professor Zhao Ni from the Department of Electronic Engineering; Professor Chow Sherman Sze-ming, Professor Lin Dahua, Professor Lin Xiaojun, Professor Nair Chandra, Professor Ouyang Wanli, and Professor Zhang Kehuan from the Department of Information Engineering; Professor Chen Chun, Professor Chen Fei,  Professor Cheng Shing Shin,  Professor Fang Guoxin,  Professor He Qiguang, Professor Huang Jie, Professor Lau Darwin Tat Ming, Professor Liu Xiaohua, Professor Lu Yi-Chun, and Professor Yuan Haidong from the Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering; Professor Ahn Dohyun, Professor Cheng Hong, Professor Gao Xuefeng, Professor Li Lingfei, Professor Long Daniel Zhuoyu, and Professor So Man-cho from the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management.

 

About the General Research Fund (GRF) and the Early Career Scheme (ECS)

The General Research Fund aims to supplement universities’ research support to researchers who have achieved or have the potential to achieve excellence. The Early Career Scheme, introduced in 2012/13, is intended to nurture junior academics and to prepare them for a career in education and research.

About the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (HSSPFS)

Introduced in 2012/13, the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (HSSPFS) aims to grant extended time off and supporting funds to outstanding investigators in the disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences Panel to enable them to focus on research and writing.

 

 

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中國工程院外籍院士頒牌儀式在北京舉行 五位香港工作背景學者獲頒院牌

9日上午,中國工程院外籍院士頒牌儀式在北京舉行,中國工程院黨組書記張玉卓主持儀式,院長李曉紅為21位近年新當選的外籍院士頒發院士牌並合影。張玉卓表示,希望外籍院士繼續發揮學術引領作用,推動工程科技持續進步和創新發展,積極為中國工程科技發展建言獻策,發揮連接中國與世界工程科技前沿的橋樑作用,攜手為應對人類共同面臨的重大挑戰貢獻工程科技方案。

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Thursday, July 9, 2026
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人才培育如建「足球隊」 黃錦輝解讀香港保持競爭力關鍵

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Thursday, June 18, 2026
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AI與教育未來:學生、老師、家長該怎麼準備?

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Saturday, June 20, 2026
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學界年度創科盛事「全港大專生機械人大賽2026」昨日圓滿落幕。今年比賽致敬中國傳統功夫,以「武林至尊」為主題,吸引江湖上9間大專院校組成15支精英隊伍,一較高下。經過連場激烈比併,最終由香港大學團隊「格物」脫穎而出,勇奪「武林至尊」寶座。
 
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Tuesday, June 23, 2026
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【院士領航香江科創】港科研具獨特引領力 聚焦對接國家工程 發揮「前沿基礎研究引擎」與「高水平國際合作樞紐」雙關鍵作用

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Monday, June 22, 2026
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CUHK develops all-optical signal processor to break AI data centre transmission bottleneck

Date: 
2026-06-22
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A research team led by Professor Huang Chaoran from Department of Electronic Engineering has developed a novel integrated all-optical signal processor (OSP) to address the massive data transmission demands of next-generation AI systems, particularly for high-speed links between multiple data centres.

Built on a silicon photonic chip, the OSP processes optical signals directly in the light domain, correcting distortions in real time without converting them into electrical signals. This approach significantly improves transmission speed, reduces latency and lowers energy consumption compared with conventional digital signal processing (DSP).

Experimental results demonstrate that the OSP achieves an aggregate data rate of 1.6 Tb/s with latency below 60 picoseconds and energy consumption of only tens of femtojoules per bit. These results address key performance bottlenecks in current communication technologies and offer a promising solution for ultra‑low‑latency, energy‑efficient AI computing. The findings have recently been published in the leading international academic journal Science.

Rapid AI growth drives demand for high-speed transmission across large-scale distributed data centres

As AI systems increasingly rely on distributed computing across multiple data centres, fast and reliable data exchange has become critical. However, conventional electronic signal processing struggles to keep up with rising transmission speeds and associated signal distortions.

“Optical fibre communications form the backbone of modern data transmission and data centre interconnect technologies. However, conventional data centre interconnect technologies are increasingly struggling to keep pace with the scale and speed required by modern AI systems,” said Professor Huang Chaoran, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering, CUHK. “As transmission rates continue to rise, signal distortion becomes more severe, and if signal processing still relies on electronic methods, it can also introduce severe latency and significant power consumption.”

Correcting distorted signals directly with light for greater efficiency

To address these challenges, Professor Huang’s team, together with researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) and Fudan University (FDU), has developed the programmable OSP, which can flexibly compensate for various signal impairments, including chromatic dispersion and nonlinear distortions. Its design draws inspiration from neuromorphic computing and machine learning, enabling more accurate signal correction.

The OSP also demonstrates strong scalability and adaptability across different transmission conditions, wavelengths and data formats, and has the potential to significantly expand optical fibre capacity.

This research marks an important step forward in optical communication, highlighting a future where light is used not only to transmit but also to process information, advancing next‑generation communication and computing technologies.

 

More details: https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press/cuhk-develops-all-optical-signal-processor-to-break-ai-data-centre-transmission-bottleneck-delivering-1-6-tb-s-throughput-and-sub-60-picosecond-latency-to-enable-green-ai-supercomputing/

 

More information about the research: Professor Huang Chaoran is the corresponding author. Other contributing authors of this work include Wang Benshan (first author), Xiao Qiarong (co-first author), Xu Tengji, Fan Li and Liu Shaojie from CUHK; and collaborators (Professor Kong Qiuqiang from CUHK, Professor Dong Jianji from HUST, and Professor Zhang Junwen from FDU). The full text can be found at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ady5344.

A research team led by CUHK has developed a novel integrated all-optical signal processor (OSP) to address the massive data transmission demands of next-generation AI systems. Team members include Assistant Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering Professor Huang Chaoran (front row middle), PhD students Wang Benshan (back row, 3rd left) and Xiao Qiarong (front row, 1st left).

Distributed data centres rely on high-speed optical interconnects to support large-scale AI. However, as transmission speeds continue to increase, signal distortion, latency and power consumption pose major challenges. The OSP developed by the CUHK-led team can correct distortions in real time before the optical signal is converted into an electrical signal. With a latency below 60 picoseconds and extremely low energy consumption, it can help increase transmission capacity and accelerate AI training across data centres.

The OSP architecture comprises three photonic reservoirs and eight readout channels. By precisely tuning the optical delay lines on the chip, the research team enables the system to achieve extremely high temporal sampling resolution, allowing it to process high-speed optical signals more effectively.

The packaged OSP chip with electrical wire bonds and an optical fibre array.

Comparison of the OSP’s chromatic dispersion compensation performance.

(Left) Under the test conditions, the OSP corrects signal distortion more effectively than conventional DSP-based methods.

(Right) Compared with previously reported optical processors, the OSP enables high-speed data processing at the 200 Gbit/s per channel level.Compensation performance of the OSP under bandwidth limitations and nonlinear effects.

(A–F) Experimental results show that signal impairments and device bandwidth limitations degrade signal quality. After applying the OSP, the signals become significantly clearer and of higher quality.

(G–H) Under nonlinear effects (such as high-power transmission), the OSP performs better than conventional DSP-based methods.

Validation of OSP programmability, demonstrating its ability to adapt flexibly to different transmission conditions.

(A–D) The OSP maintains good signal quality across different wavelengths, data rates and modulation formats.

(E) The system can operate stably after simple training.

(F) The OSP can be adjusted according to different application requirements, showing strong flexibility.

The OSP supports high-speed data centre interconnect transmission with a total rate of up to 1.6 Tb/s

(A) An illustration of a high-speed optical transceiver integrated with the OSP, which can simultaneously process eight wavelength channels and correct distorted optical signals.

(B) Compared with unprocessed transmission or conventional methods, the OSP significantly reduces transmission errors.

(C) When combined with a small amount of DSP, the OSP can further improve long-distance transmission performance.

 

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CUHK and HKIE sign MOU for launching the EngSeeds programme

Date: 
2026-06-08
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CUHK Faculty of Engineering and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to officially launch the “EngSeeds” programme for secondary school students. The programme aims to provide secondary school students with a systematic and inspiring engineering practice experience, helping them understand the engineering profession and plan their future academic and career development.

HKIE, in collaboration with partner universities and institutions, is launching a diverse range of experiential activities, including interactive workshops, industry sharing sessions, and experiential learning. These activities cover cutting-edge fields such as construction and infrastructure, artificial intelligence, robotics, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and biomedicine, allowing students to engage with engineering and STEAM knowledge in real-world engineering environments, inspiring creative thinking and cultivating problem-solving skills. The first round of activities will be held from June to September this year. Students who complete the entire program will receive a certificate jointly issued by the Society and partner institutions to recognize their learning outcomes.

More details: HKIE press release 

 

 

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