“Guangzhou, as part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), possesses rich resources of education, medicine, and law services, having great potential in developing key scientific researches such as space technology and deep-sea studies”, Du Ruxu, member of Canadian Academy of Engineering, told GDToday’s journalist at the Greater Bay Science Forum 2021 held in Guangzhou.
Du Ruxu. (Photo provided to newsgd.com)
Between December 11 to 13, the forum invited top scientists to share their views on the scientific innovation in the GBA.
The ultimate solutions to global challenges are science & technology
According to Zhao Yuliang, member of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Director of the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, and Dean of the GBA National Institute for Nanotechnology Innovation (CanNano), the basic research of nanotechnology in China is among the top ranking worldwide, while technology transfer and commercialisation still lags behind.
Zhao Yuliang. (Photo provided to newsgd.com)
“Work efficiency here in the GBA, especially in Guangzhou, is higher than any other place in the country,” said Zhao, and “people are particular about their work in science and technology”, providing a perfect environment for application and commercialisation of nanotechnology.
That is why the CanNano was established here, and “we hope to develop the GBA into a hub of nanotechnology industry as well as a high plateau for scientific and technological innovation in the world at large,” said Zhao.
Zhao noted that for all the global challenges posed by COVID-19, climate change, and so on, the ultimate solutions to them are science and technology.
GBA is already a world-class science and innovation center
"I think the Greater Bay Area is already a world-class science and innovation center." Gao Min, Dean of the HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, said in an interview that on this promising land, “many world-class companies have gradually entered the ‘no man's land’.”
Gao Min. (Photo provided to newsgd.com)
"In terms of data linkage and scientific research equipment sharing, there have been major breakthroughs in recent months." Gao Min elaborated, "For example, via the Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, the National Supercomputing Center in Guangzhou (NSCC-GZ) and HKUST achieve interconnection of dedicated optical fibers and lines.”
Gao explained that, any teacher at HKUST uses Guangzhou Supercomputing as conveniently as using a local area network. In the past five years, more than 200 teachers have used it and achieved fruitful results."
At the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Hong Kong cyclist Sarah Lee Wai Sze won the bronze medal in the track cycling women's sprint, making her the first Hong Kong athlete to have won two Olympic medals. This success is inseparable from the powerful assistance of China's sports technology development.
For more than two years, by utilizing Tianhe-2 supercomputing resources, the research team of HKUST Professor Zhang Xin’s team and the Hong Kong Sports Institute have carried out systematic cycling aerodynamics research to help Sarah Lee Wai Szei improve training efficiency and competition results. "It’s a typical case of cooperation in the GBA," said Gao Min.
As the pandemic continues to loom ahead, GBA will rise to global challenges
Speaking of how GBA will contribute to the global challenges nowadays, Zhang Changsheng, Deputy Director, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, quoted the Guangzhou National Laboratory led by Zhong Nanshan.
Zhang Changsheng. (Photo provided to newsgd.com)
“The Guangzhou National Laboratory specializes in respiratory diseases, so I believe that driven by the Guangzhou National Laboratory, the assessment of related respiratory diseases will be improved.”
In his mind, the GBA is also a very good platform for gathering talent, scientific research resources, and teams.
He noted that the attraction of the GBA lies in its strong economy, numerous platforms and abundant talent. “It is precisely because of the interaction of these platforms and the mutual cooperation between scientific researchers that I think GBA is a very good foundation to let scientific innovation move forward to a higher level.”
Author | Hannah, Lydia Liu
Editor | Keane, Jerry