As Hong Kong continues to advance its innovation and technology (I&T) agenda, The University of Hong Kong (“HKU”) is committed to playing a leading role in shaping the city’s future as a global knowledge and innovation hub. With a clear vision to drive pioneering research and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, HKU is planning the Global Innovation Centre (“GIC”) as a flagship upstream interdisciplinary research platform. The GIC will serve as a catalyst for global talent, transformative ideas and solutions, supporting Hong Kong’s aspirations at the forefront of I&T development both regionally and internationally.

In pursuit of this vision, since June 2025, HKU has engaged Arup Advisory HK Limited (“Arup”) as an independent Management Consultant of the GIC project. Arup’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, site selection analysis, scale appropriateness with a proposed schedule of accommodation, and international benchmarking of global research facility developments.

At the engagement meeting with the residents from Baguio Villa on August 16, 2025, HKU received requests from participants for sharing the Consultancy Brief for Arup.

Accordingly, information on the Consultancy Brief for the concerned tender was subsequently issued to the participants of the August 16 meeting via email dated August 22, 2025. Further requests were received on September 27, 2025 engagement meeting to be informed of the updated and consolidated instructions to Arup in relation to site selection.

In view of the above, HKU agreed at the engagement meeting on September 27, 2025 to update the Consultancy Brief in relation to site selection review for the GIC, and publish the specification online.

For clarity, the following information has been consolidated to enable a better understanding of the process of the site assessment analysis conducted by the Management Consultant.

During the consultancy study, the HKU project team has instructed the independent Management Consultant to expand the scope of the “Site Assessment Analysis” in addition to the Scope of Works outlined in the Technical Specifications of the Tender, to incorporate the comments received during the meetings with community stakeholders in Q2-Q3 2025 regarding the alternative site suggestions for developing the GIC.

The Consultancy Brief for Site Assessment Analysis of the GIC (as at October 3, 2025)

The Consultancy Brief for the independent Management Consultancy Service, in particular on the services for site assessment analysis, has been updated as follows in bold italic wordings:

The Consultant is instructed to:-

i. conduct desktop research on the overall development strategy promulgated by the Government in relation to deep technology development and identify suitable opportunities and position of HKU to implement Government’s vision.

ii. conduct desktop research and analysis on the international successful/ failing cases for deep technology basic research facility development, especially those in collaboration with universities.

iii. following (i) and (ii), prepare a detailed proposal on a development brief for the GIC in consultation with HKU, for the planning application submission and for future development of the GIC. The detailed proposal should include:-

a. an executive summary of HKU’s vision to develop the GIC, aligning with policy objectives of the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Policy Address and for the benefits of Hong Kong’s economy;

b. the strengths of HKU that make HKU a suitable local candidate in developing and managing the GIC;

c. advantages and appropriateness or otherwise of the GIC to be located in close proximity to HKU;

d. advantages and appropriateness or otherwise of the GIC to be located in alternative areas as listed below: (i) Northern Metropolis, (ii) a site to the western side of Mount Davis and Straddling Victoria Road, to the north of the Chicago University, (iii) a site adjacent to the ISF Academy;

e. a practical brief to demonstrate appropriateness of the scale of development and a schedule of accommodation to inform the optimal mix of usage / purpose for the facilities;

f. To identify potential issues that may arise during the development and to propose precautionary/mitigatory measures for minimizing adverse impacts, if any;

g. To prepare a presentation deck based on the detailed proposal for HKU to use; and

h. To provide other information and/or statistics that may be conducive to the smooth development of the GIC.

iv. With reference to items (iii)(c) and (iii)(d) above, the following main features in site selection are to be addressed:

- The overall development strategy promulgated by the Government in relation to deep technology basic research development as per item (i) above;

- Desktop research and analysis on the international successful cases for deep technology basic research facility development as per item (ii) above;

- Based on criteria from local point of views, including
(1) Minimising the Use of Green Belt;
(2) Accessibility and broad-brush traffic assessment on existing roads;
(3) Geotechnical concern and Constructability;
(4) Historical & archaeological assessment;
(5) Site availability (and planned developments, if any)

The site assessment analysis findings and other parts of the consultancy study will be further reviewed upon its completion.

The University remains committed to engaging with the community and maintaining ongoing dialogue with stakeholders in the coming months to ensure their views are considered throughout the planning process to enhance the revised development proposal of the GIC.

Details: https://gic.hku.hk/about-gic-en/planning-and-design-en/