Space Exploration: HKUST-led Centre Signs Strategic MoU with Southeast University
HKUST-led Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Southeast University to push research and technology transfer in space robotics and deep space energy systems, aiming to support national aerospace development; the agreement was completed on March 8 (ET) at HKUST’s Clear Water Bay campus. The partnership targets research innovation, technology transfer and talent cultivation. The move is framed explicitly as contributing to broader efforts to build a leading aerospace capability.
Agreement details and attendees
The MoU was signed by Prof. GAO Yang, Director of the Hong Kong Space Robotics and Energy Centre and Director of the HKUST Centre for AI Robotics in Space Sustainability, and Mr. WANG Chen, Director of the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Office at Southeast University. The signing was witnessed by Mr. LI Zhongjun, Mayor of the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government; Prof. Harry SHUM, HKUST Council Chairman; and Mr. WU Xiaocheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Southeast University. Representatives from the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government, Southeast University, HKUST and a major Nanjing-based steel enterprise attended the ceremony on site.
HKUST hosted a delegation led by the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government on March 8 (ET), which also toured the State Key Laboratory of Displays and Optoelectronics where HKUST researchers showcased laboratory facilities and projects. The MoU establishes a long-term strategic partnership focused on joint work across named disciplines and on enabling technology transfer between the institutions.
Space Exploration focus and research areas
The collaboration will concentrate on space robotics, deep space energy systems and embodied intelligence, with an interdisciplinary approach that links mechanical and aerospace engineering, AI robotics and energy research. Prof. GAO Yang is identified as a signatory representing HKUST’s HKSREC and its Centre for AI Robotics in Space Sustainability, positioning the centre to coordinate joint projects and talent programs. The stated goals include research innovation, technology transfer and talent cultivation to support national ambitions in space exploration and aerospace capability.
The partnership explicitly names deep space energy systems and robotic autonomy as priority areas and frames technology transfer and talent development as mechanisms to move laboratory advances toward practical deployment. The institutions will pursue joint research and cooperation across those fields while leveraging each party’s laboratory assets and administrative channels.
Immediate reactions and institutional statements
Mr. LI Zhongjun, Mayor of the Nanjing Municipal People’s Government, said, “I hope to deepen collaboration with HKUST in innovation, industrial development, and talent cultivation, ” flagging municipal support for connecting city resources with the university partnership. Mr. WU Xiaocheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Southeast University, said, “We sincerely appreciate HKUST’s dedicated support for SEU, ” framing the agreement as strategic guidance for SEU’s academic and research positioning.
Prof. Harry SHUM, HKUST Council Chairman, attended the ceremony and was presented as part of university leadership endorsing the collaboration. Prof. GAO Yang and Mr. WANG Chen formally executed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutions, making the partnership operational at the signatory level.
What’s next
Institutional next steps include setting up channels for joint projects, coordinating talent cultivation programs and initiating technology-transfer pathways between HKUST and Southeast University. Delegations and laboratory tours on March 8 (ET) signaled an immediate intent to convert the MoU into working collaborations. Observers should expect announcements of joint research projects, talent exchanges and specific technology-transfer initiatives tied to space robotics and deep space energy systems as the partnership moves from memorandum to active programs that support long-term space exploration.
