Chen Fu-Rong, Associate Vice President of City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), visited the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) with his delegation on April 13. The two sides held discussions on topics including discipline development, scientific research collaboration, talent cultivation, and research platform development.

Zhai Tianyou, Dean of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, received the visitors, while Vice Dean Zhang Cheng provided an overview of the school's development history, academic strengths, faculty composition, talent cultivation strategies, research platforms, and international collaborations.

Chen Fu-Rong introduced the CityUHK Matter Science Research Institute (Futian) in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone. The institute specializes in areas such as new energy, advanced materials, additive manufacturing, and high spatiotemporal resolution electron microscopy, and has yielded significant research achievements. He expressed a willingness to collaborate with HUST on building joint platforms, applying for major research projects, and promoting the commercialization of scientific research outcomes.

Both parties reached a preliminary consensus on establishing an advanced materials research center, jointly applying for national-level projects, and implementing “3+1+X” bachelor-master-doctor joint training programs.

CityUHK and HUST have maintained long-term academic exchanges and research collaborations, having jointly published several high-quality papers. Collaborative achievements in bioinspired ceramic additive manufacturing were published in Nature in February 2026. Professors from both universities served as corresponding authors, and Chen Annan, a doctoral student enrolled in 2016, was the first author of the research paper.

During the visit, Chen Fu-Rong and his delegation also toured the State Key Laboratory of Materials Processing and Die & Mould Technology as well as a laboratory for additive manufacturing (3D Printing).

Source: School of Materials Science and Engineering, HUST