Approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the People’s Republic of China, the State Key Laboratory of Climate Resilience for Coastal Cities (SKL-CRCC) – collectively established by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) – was formally inaugurated at this time. Dedicated to addressing the challenges posed by local weather change, the Laboratory goals to reinforce infrastructure resilience in Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland and coastal cities worldwide. Its core missions embrace strengthening climate-risk early-warning methods and emergency response capabilities, and selling sustainable improvement to deal with challenges posed by local weather change. Concurrently, a two-day worldwide symposium is being held, bringing collectively world-leading specialists and students to debate how local weather resilience in coastal cities will be strengthened globally.
The inauguration was held at PolyU’s Hotel ICON and officiated by Prof. Nancy IP, HKUST President; Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President; Prof. Charles NG Wang-Wai, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement of HKUST, Director of SKL-CRCC, and CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability; Prof. WONG Wing-Tak, PolyU Deputy President and Provost; Prof. LI Xiangdong, Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment, Director of SKL-CRCC and Director of the Otto Poon Research Institute for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure (RICRI) of PolyU; and Prof. YUE Qingrui, Chairman of the Academic Committee of SKL-CRCC.
Prof. Nancy Ip mentioned, “We extend our profound gratitude to the Central Government and the HKSAR Government for their steadfast and visionary support in establishing this inaugural State Key Laboratory of Climate Resilience for Coastal Cities. This endeavor powerfully demonstrates Hong Kong’s capacity to unite world-class research expertise from leading institutions in a strategic collaboration to address one of our generation’s most urgent challenges. By pioneering solutions for urban disaster mitigation and infrastructure resilience, this laboratory represents a strategic national initiative. It will serve to enhance Hong Kong’s position as an international innovation and technology hub, contributing steady and meaningful momentum to our nation’s scientific advancement and long-term sustainable development.”
Prof. Jin-Guang Teng emphasised, “The establishment of SKL-CRCC not only closely aligns with the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy 2035, but also supports the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s focus on climate-resilient urban development. Its significance is far-reaching: it reflects the Nation’s commitment to technological self-reliance, scientific excellence and sustainable development, and exemplifies the synergy of Hong Kong’s world-class universities. By leveraging our complementary advantages, this strategic collaboration will drive national innovation and global scientific progress. PolyU sincerely thanks the Central Government and the HKSAR Government for their foresight and support. We will continue translating research into impactful solutions and make the laboratory a ‘core engine’ for resilient urban development, strengthening public safety, urban resilience and sustainable development.”
Prof. Charles Ng Wang-Wai and Prof. Li Xiangdong, Directors of SKL-CRCC, acknowledged that HKUST and PolyU groups leverage the superior services of each universities to conduct analysis in a number of areas: Climate Change and Extreme Weather, Urban Infrastructure and Resilience, Urban Compound Disasters and Evolution, Extreme Rainstorm Disasters and Nature-based Solutions, Coastal Engineering and Technology, and Climate Change Risk Perception, Early Warning, and Response Policy Management. They identified that knowledge collected via varied analysis initiatives will considerably enhance coastal cities’ future forecasting accuracy and response capabilities beneath extreme climate circumstances.
The two-day worldwide symposium options roughly 30 keynotes by specialists from famend universities in Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland, different components of Asia, Europe, the Americas and Australia. Topics embrace marine heatwaves, earthquakes, city water administration and synthetic intelligence functions. Through educational trade and in-depth dialogue, the Symposium goals to advance world-class information to strengthen local weather resilience in coastal cities globally.
SKL-CRCC was formally accredited because the standing of a State Key Laboratory by MOST in August 2025. To tackle local weather change and catastrophe dangers, it goals to deeply combine its work into the nationwide strategic frameworks and world improvement initiatives, specializing in resilience development and catastrophe mitigation. It is dedicated to enhancing the resilience of coastal city infrastructure to deal with the compound challenges posed by local weather change.