News & Stories

A research team from the School of Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has achieved a major breakthrough in brain imaging by developing the world’s first technology to capture high-resolution images of the brain of awake experimental mice in a nearly non-invasive manner. By eliminating the need for anesthesia, this innovation enables scientists to study brain tissue in its fully functional state. The advancement promises deeper insights into human brain function in both healthy and diseased conditions, opening new frontiers in neuroscience research.

A research team led by the School of Engineering of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made significant advances in quantum rod light-emitting diodes (QR-LEDs), setting record-high efficiency level for red QR-LEDs. This innovation is poised to revolutionize next-generation display and lighting technologies, offering smartphone and television users a vibrant and enhanced visual experience.LEDs have been widely used in electronic products for decades. Recent developments in quantum materials have given rise to quantum dot LEDs (QD-LEDs) and QR-LEDs. QD-LEDs offer superior color purity (color vividness) and higher brightness compared to current mainstream LEDs. However, outcoupling efficiency has now become the primary obstacle, as it sets a fundamental ceiling for external quantum efficiency (EQE), thereby hindering any further performance improvements.

Once, science fiction served as a prophecy of the future. Today, technology is transforming these visions into our lived reality at an unprecedented pace. As both an extrapolation of scientific frontiers and a realm of imagination, science fiction continually expands the boundaries of human understanding, while rapidly evolving technology constantly reshapes the form of science fiction itself. In these dual currents of progress, how will science fiction envision the future for us?

人工智能（AI）圖像編輯及生成模型獲廣泛應用於圖像創作，然而其對抽象概念如感覺和氛圍等理解精準度一直存在局限，且多依賴純文字指令，較難準確表達複雜圖像意思，亦無法捕捉風格、材質或光影等效果。由香港科技大學（科大）馮諾依曼研究院院長兼計算機科學及工程學系講座教授賈佳亞教授帶領的團隊成功開發名為「DreamOmni2」的AI圖像生成和編輯器，不僅擁有卓越的多模態指令編輯和實體物件生成能力，更在抽象概念的理解和生成方面有重大突破，讓AI不僅能「看圖」，更能「理解圖意」，多方面表現優於同類型開源和閉源模型，為AI創作開啟無限可能。直擊缺陷：解鎖抽象概念的創作潛能近年，圖像編輯及生成模型的發展進入爆發階段，新品頻出，但暫時仍未有任何模型能徹底克服實際操作上遇到的兩大缺陷。其一是文本指令的局限性，純文字指令難以準確描述人物特徵、抽象紋理等細節。其二是抽象概念的缺失，現有模型僅能處理有形實體，如人物、物件，無法有效應對髮型、妝容、紋理、光影效果或風格等抽象概念，極大程度上限制了創作空間。DreamOmni2則可解決有關難題，成功執行兩大全新任務，包括根據用家輸入的抽象或實體概念，執行多模態指令編輯和生成，真正成為「全能創作工具」。全面性能測試：超越現有開源與閉源模型在多模態指令生成任務中，DreamOmni2能基於圖片中的實體進行圖像生成，例如提取圖一的畫作掛在臥室牆上，將圖二盤子的材質套用在圖三的水杯，並將水杯放置在桌子上，以生成符合用家要求的新圖像（圖示一）。在多模態指令編輯任務中，DreamOmni2的表現亦非常優秀，例如將圖中帽子的顏色變成與另一張圖毛衣相同的配色（圖示二）。

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (HKIC), and Gobi Partners (Gobi) today announced the launch of a new strategic fund focused on early-stage start-ups incubated at the University. The Gobi-Redbird Innovation Fund (Gobi-RIF) aims to propel university-born technologies into global markets, bridging cutting-edge academic discoveries with industry-driven scalability to deliver transformative solutions worldwide.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Sino Group successfully concluded the Hong Kong finale of the "HKUST-SINO One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition 2025" today at the HKUST Clear Water Bay campus. Celebrating its 15th anniversary, the competition this year attracted 348 teams from around the world to compete for awards and exchange innovative ideas to develop practical solutions for a sustainable future. The team Stellerus Technology Limited claimed the top Platinum Award for their Feilian Constellation.The award presentation ceremony was officiated by Deputy Chief Executive Officer Mr. David NG from Sino Group, with HKUST President Prof. Nancy IP and HKUST Vice-President for Research and Development Prof. Tim CHENG in attendance. Finalist teams presented their pioneering projects to a distinguished audience of industry partners, investors, and academic leaders.

Membrane proteins are crucial for numerous biological processes and serve as important drug targets. For decades, scientists have relied on detergents to extract membrane proteins from cell membranes for structural studies. While detergent-based approaches have significantly advanced our understanding of membrane protein structures, they present certain limitations, such as resource-intensive detergent screening and the absence of native membrane lipids, which can hinder investigations into lipid-mediated regulation. To address these challenges, a research team led by Prof. DANG Shangyu from the Division of Life Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed a novel vesicle-based method that preserves the native lipid environment of membrane proteins, which can advance structural and functional studies.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the Education Bureau (EDB), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization (CAS-TECSU) jointly organized the Hong Kong Secondary Student Space Station Popular Science Payload and Science Experiment Design Challenge. An award ceremony was held at HKUST on September 21 to commend the outstanding student teams for their excellent designs and recognize their achievements in space science.