December 2018
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) will establish an Institute of the Mind to take on the grand challenge of studying the science and art of human wisdom, and harness it in the form of mind technology and neuromorphic computation. The Institute has been made possible thanks to a generous donation of HK $150 million by Dr the Honorable Lee Shau-Kee, GBM, Chairman of Henderson Land Group, through the Lee Shau Kee Foundation.
HKU President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Xiang Zhang signed a memorandum of understanding with Dr Lee at a ceremony on December 17. Professor Zhang expressed his gratitude for Dr Lee’s generosity and foresight towards research that will extend the boundaries of brain studies and neuro-science.
“The Institute will establish a technology platform with a human-society-machine interface. Cross-faculty and inter-disciplinary research teams can be assembled to study qualitative and quantitative human wisdom. It will lead to the next generation’s information technology, and re-define multiple core industries including automobile, internet, medical diagnosis, energy, etc, and foster social advancement,” Professor Zhang said.
Dr Lee has a passion for education and has been a staunch supporter of HKU for decades. The Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, which opened in 2012, is the centrepiece of the Centennial Campus. Its Grand Hall, with state-of-the-art acoustics, has become the focus for world-class concerts, international conferences, and graduation ceremonies. The student residence Lee Shau Kee Hall has been home to 300 young scholars every year. The Lee Shau Kee Scholarships have supported over 700 local and international HKU undergraduates and postgraduates since 2009.