HKUST (Guangzhou) to open in 2022

Lionel M Ni, the founding president of HKUST (Guangzhou). [Photo/Yangcheng Evening News]

Lionel M Ni, provost of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been appointed as the founding president of HKUST (Guangzhou).

Ni held an online press conference on May 17, introducing the latest achievements that HKUST (Guangzhou) has made in areas spanning construction and enrollment. 

Preparations for HKUST (Guangzhou) are now underway and going smoothly. The project is expected to finish its main structure by August this year and start operation in September 2022.

The first-stage investment for HKUST (Guangzhou) is estimated to exceed 30 billion yuan ($4.7 billion).

Artist's impression of HKUST (Guangzhou). [Photo/gznsnews.com.cn]

The first phase of the school's operation is expected to employ 400 full-time teachers from all over the world, and 150 of them will start their positions before September 2022. 

A total of 4,000 graduate students are also scheduled to enroll during this stage, and the number of students on campus will reach 10,000 in the future. Of these, 6,000 will be graduate students.

"The location of the Guangzhou campus is close to the high-speed train station, making it convenient for students and teachers from the two HKUST campuses to reach each other, as it only takes half an hour to travel between West Kowloon Station in Hong Kong to Qingsheng high-speed train station," added Ni. 

Ni noted that both Guangzhou campus and the Clear Water Bay campus will be equal in terms of teacher salaries or student scholarships.