13 IN FOCUS PhD Education Joint Venture with University of Toronto Academic and research collaboration between HKUST and the University of Toronto will be stepped up in the future, with the signing of a new agreement in April that will promote a joint venture in PhD education and enable PhD students studying in the field of engineering in either institution to go on academic exchange to the partner university. Dean of Engineering Prof Khaled Ben Letaief said the strategic alliance would promote and enhance engineering teaching, learning and research, signaling the two universities’ common goal to take engineering development to the next level. The joint venture in PhD education would provide an exciting and diversified learning experience for School of Engineering doctoral candidates, he noted. The University of Toronto is a leading global university that was ranked No. 17 in the QS World University Rankings in 2013 and No. 20 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings in 2013-2014. The School of Engineering already has active ties with the Canadian institution, with several University of Toronto alumni among current faculty members. Other major international partners working with the School include Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton in the US, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, Tsinghua University in Mainland China, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Korea. Fresh Light on Solar Panels Prof Zhiyong Fan, Electronic and Computer Engineering, and his research team have developed new flexible nanostructures for thin film solar cells, which can significantly improve energy conversion efficiency and lead to the manufacturing of solar panels that are lighter, more efficient, and versatile. The breakthrough technology can supply power for portable electronic devices and generate electricity for large-scale photovoltaic plants, lowering costs by more than 65%. This is significant as solar photovoltaic technology currently suffers from high-cost energy conversion and relatively low efficiency despite being one of the most important clean energy technologies today. The commercial potential of Prof Fan’s technology was highlighted when it became the subject of a winning student entrepreneurship competition entry by a School of Business and Management MBA team. The Solaris student team of three worked closely with Prof Fan and his researchers to develop a business plan that would turn the invention into a thriving enterprise and widen solar energy use in society. The team went on to win the CEIBS-Beijing Benz INNOVATEChina 2013 Entrepreneurship Challenge in March. The following month, Prof Fan’s technology helped Solaris to secure the Best Trade Show Award in the New Venture Championship at the University of Oregon. The team was also awarded the first prize and elevator pitch prize in the HKUST 2013 One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition, held in May.
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