The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has distinguished itself in the 2026/2027 Strategic Topics Grant (STG) of the Research Grants Council (RGC) under the University Grants Committee. Of the six approved projects, two are led by HKUST scholars, collectively receiving more than HKD 54.41 million in funding (including matching fund from the University). This represents the highest total funding amount among local universities. The projects leverage artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare to enhance the management of bacterial infections in older adults and provide integrated management for Parkinson’s disease, underscoring HKUST’s leadership in cutting-edge research and its commitment to developing innovative solutions to the healthcare challenges posed by the aging global population.
Prof. Tim CHENG Kwang-Ting, HKUST Vice President for Research and Development, extended his heartfelt congratulations to the research teams and expressed his gratitude to the RGC for their support. He stated, “This achievement highlights HKUST’s profound expertise in AI and healthcare technology and demonstrates how pioneering research can drive more efficient early screening, monitoring and disease management for the elderly. In line with the national 15th Five-Year Plan’s emphasis on establishing a comprehensive healthcare service system and vigorously developing smart healthcare and related industries, HKUST will continue to advance the integration of AI with healthcare and other sectors, fostering interdisciplinary innovation. Through research excellence, we aim to inject new vitality into the healthcare industry in Hong Kong, across the Greater Bay Area and the nation, and even globally, helping to address the growing demand for health technologies and alleviate the burden on healthcare systems posed by an ageing population.”
Led by Prof. HSING I-Ming, Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at HKUST, the project titled “AI-assisted Infection Management in Elderly Hospitals and Nursing Homes: Safeguarding Health through Point-of-Care Technologies and Smart Materials,” under the “Health and Longevity in a Caring Community” domain, has secured a total funding of HKD 26.789 million (including university matching fund) for five years.
Many elderly residents in Hong Kong, particularly those living in nursing homes or recuperating in hospitals, are immunosuppressed. This project aims to develop an AI-assisted, end-to-end infection management system that generates personalized treatment and nursing care plans based on real-time, point-of-care clinical data streams to enhance the quality and effectiveness of infection management.
Project highlights include: (1) the development of innovative point-of-care and wearable biosensors to generate real-time data streams for the AI platform, including high-throughput on-site screening of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and non-invasive monitoring of vital signs (such as body temperature and heart rate) and biomarkers; and (2) the establishment of an on-demand chronic wound management system using smart responsive materials to address potential tissue infections associated with prolonged wound healing. The system will provide real-time alerts on pressure accumulation and inflammation while interfacing with microbial testing for infection diagnosis. The sensing data will be processed by the AI platform to generate personalized nursing care plans that promote wound healing and prevent infection.
Led by Prof. ZHANG Qian, Head of the Division of Integrative Systems and Design, and Chair Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering at HKUST, the project titled “PMAI-PD: A Personalized Multimodal AI Platform for Integrated Life-Cycle Management of Parkinson’s Disease in Aging Populations” under the “Smart Technology and an Ageing Population” domain, has received a total of HKD27.628 million funding (including university matching fund) for five years.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) presents a rapidly growing public health challenge in aging societies. The research team will partner with frontline physicians and elderly-care industry partners in the GBA to develop PMAI-PD, an AI-powered PD care platform that transforms PD management from a hospital-centric model into “hospital + home” care pathway. The platform aims to extend screening, monitoring, and rehabilitation into patients’ daily lives through the use of low-cost sensors and clinically validated AI models.
PMAI-PD comprises three integrated modules: (1) PMAI-PD screen, which enables early screening by integrating daily behavioural signals with clinical profiles, such as blood proteomic and neuroimaging signatures associated with early-stage PD; (2) PMAI-PD assess agent, which supports continuous home-based assessment by estimating PD symptoms through contactless and wearable sensing during everyday activities, enabling ecologically valid longitudinal monitoring; and (3) PMAI-PD rehab, which delivers personalized rehabilitation through an LLM-enabled agent that guides patients through exercises using the same home-based sensors, thereby improving patient adherence and enhancing therapist efficiency.
In addition, Prof. CHEN Hao, Assistant Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Prof. HONG Jiewen, Head and Professor of the Department of Marketing at HKUST are participating in projects led by The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University respectively. The projects are titled “Building Artificial Intelligent-Enhanced Platform for One-Stop Advance Care Planning Model” and “Empowering an inclusive, Age-Friendly Silver Economy in Hong Kong: From Longitudinal Evidence to Intergeneration Multi-stakeholder Action”.
The RGC’s Strategic Topics Grant seeks to support collaborative research in strategic areas that address issues of significant importance to Hong Kong. For 2026/27 exercise, the designated research themes are Health and Longevity in a Caring Community; Smart Technology and an Ageing Population; and Silver Society, Economy and Finance. 90% of the approved project funding comes from RGC, with the remaining 10% contributed by the participating universities as matching funds.
