The Guangzhou campus of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) will officially start enrollment in September 2022, Nanfang Plus reported on Feb 28.

The construction of HKUST (Guangzhou) started in September 2019. It is located in the northwest of the Qingsheng transportation hub in Nansha district and covers a planned area of 1,669 mu (111.27 hectares).

The first phase of the project, covering an area of 716 mu, is expected to cost 9.58 billion yuan ($1.37 billion).

The campus of HKUST (Guangzhou) applies both Chinese and western cultural elements in its overall design. [Photo/southcn.com]

An independent legal entity, HKUST (Guangzhou) has been designed to develop into a top university in the world and to nurture more talents to contribute to the scientific innovation, industrial upgrading, and high quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Enrollment efforts in the first six years will mainly focus on attracting master's and PhD students in major interdisciplinary areas that meet the strategic needs of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

A total of 10 areas have been listed for enrollment, such as data science and analysis, robotics and automation systems, biomedicine and biomedical engineering, advanced materials, smart manufacturing, as well as artificial intelligence.

The number of students on campus will reach 10,000 in the future, including 6,000 research postgraduates and 4,000 undergraduates. The number of students on campus from the Chinese mainland will account for 40 percent of the total number, while those from foreign countries, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan will account for 60 percent of the total.

Students of HKUST (Guangzhou) and HKUST will see more free studying experiences, making HKUST a world leading university in bay areas benefiting from the two systems in China.

During the construction of HKUST (Guangzhou), established companies that rely on the scientific platforms that HKUST has set up on the Chinese mainland, such as DJI, Yunzhou Tech, and APT Electronics Co Ltd, can first cultivate applied masters and PhD students before the campus can enroll undergraduate students.

HKUST has encouraged teachers to move to Guangzhou and work there. Recruitment for outstanding foreign teachers will soon start globally.