HKUST (Guangzhou) opens in Nansha with 15 postgraduate programs

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), known as HKUST(GZ), opened on September 1, 2022 in the Nansha district of Guangzhou. The opening followed approval from China's Ministry of Education, announced on June 29, 2022. HKUST describes the new university as the first legally independent educational institution established jointly by Hong Kong and the Mainland since the national development plan for the Greater Bay Area was issued.

HKUST(GZ) was set up by HKUST together with Guangzhou University under an agreement signed in December 2018, and construction began in November 2020. In place of conventional schools and departments, it is organized into four hubs, named Function, Information, Systems and Society, intended to support cross-disciplinary work. It started with 15 postgraduate programs in 2022, in fields such as advanced materials, intelligent transportation and microelectronics. Three undergraduate programs, in artificial intelligence, data science and big data technology, and smart manufacturing, were scheduled to begin admission in 2023. Undergraduates receive certificates from both HKUST(GZ) and HKUST, while postgraduates receive HKUST degrees.

China Daily reported that the campus opened with 545 students and 456 staff members. HKUST said the two campuses will operate on the principle of a unified university with complementary sites, collaborating on teaching, research and knowledge transfer.