HKUST established the Big Data Institute on February 1, 2016. The Institute serves as a platform for big data and data science research, activities, and education at the University, coordinating multidisciplinary research projects between faculty, partner institutions, as well as industry collaborators. It also creates leading education programs and regularly engages in community outreach. Through its research activities and information sharing, the Institute strives to develop frontier technologies and applications that have the potential to offer high-impact solutions to pressing near-term big data-related challenges.