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To accelerate the development of the low-altitude economy in Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and the Greater Bay Area Low Altitude Economy Alliance (GBA LAEA) officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today (20 October), establishing a strategic partnership. The MoU was signed by Legislative Council Member and Founding President of LAEA the Honourable Elizabeth Quat and CUHK’s Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming. The signing was witnessed by distinguished guests including Legislative Council Members and LAEA Advisors Dr the Honourable Chan Han-pan, the Honourable Yiu Pak-leung and Professor the Honourable Wong Kam-fai; Legislative Council Members the Honourable Steven Ho Chun-yin, the Honourable Nixie Lam Lam; Representative of the Vice President Unit of LAEA Ms Elizabeth Ng; Secretary General of LAEA Mr Gary Yeung; as well as CUHK’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sham Mai-har and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) Professor Irwin King Kuo-chin. This marks a new milestone in collaboration among the government, industry, academia, research and investment sectors, promoting Hong Kong as a global pioneer and demonstration zone for the low-altitude economy.

Under the MoU, CUHK and LAEA will deepen collaboration in education and projects to jointly promote the development of the low-altitude economy. Both parties will pool resources to develop and promote advanced training courses and certification systems, and establish a sustainable talent development platform. Key areas of cooperation include strengthening educational collaboration to nurture talent for the low-altitude economy sector; encouraging academic exchange and collaborative research to advance technology and industrial development in low-altitude engineering; and jointly organising seminars, lectures and site visits to enhance exchange and cooperation between academia and industry.

This collaboration aims to combine CUHK’s research excellence with LAEA’s industry network, injecting new impetus into the development of Hong Kong’s low-altitude economy and consolidating the city’s leading position in innovation and technology.

Professor Lo said the low-altitude economy represents a new frontier for Hong Kong’s innovation and technological development, and will be a key driver for the future growth of the city. Scholars from various departments at CUHK have long been engaged in comprehensive research on drone technologies, including ground, underwater and aerial monitoring, space science, satellite applications and other ground-based operational systems, particularly focusing on the software, hardware and sensor technologies required for drone operations in confined environments. On the educational front, CUHK has launched the Aerospace Science and Earth Informatics & X Double Major Programme with CUHK-Shenzhen, while the Business School plans to introduce a master’s programme in aviation management next year, both covering aspects of the low-altitude economy. The University will continue to advance research and education in this field through interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating resources from engineering, business and social sciences to drive innovation and sustainable development, and expand relevant undergraduate and postgraduate courses. CUHK also aims to leverage its collaboration with the alliance to offer students more internship opportunities, nurturing talent with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

Ms Quat stated that the low-altitude economy is an emerging industry of strategic importance for the country, with talent being the core driving force behind its development. Since its establishment, LAEA has cooperated with top universities in Hong Kong, and she added that she was delighted to have confirmed a strategic partnership with CUHK today. CUHK has outstanding expert teams and research strengths in aircraft hardware, artificial intelligence and logistics optimisation. Through this collaboration, she said, LAEA hopes to closely align industry needs with academic research and jointly build a comprehensive talent training system, providing continuous momentum for the vigorous development of the low-altitude economy in the GBA, and helping Hong Kong seize national development opportunities and become an international innovation and technology centre.

With the global low-altitude economic market growing rapidly, it is expected that by 2035, the sector’s contribution to Hong Kong’s economy will see exponential growth. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China has also established a task force to develop the low-altitude economy and is building an industry ecosystem. This collaboration will further strengthen the foundations of government-industry-academia-research-investment cooperation in the low-altitude economy and lay a solid foundation for Hong Kong to integrate into national development and to become a leading low-altitude economy hub.

About the Greater Bay Area Low Altitude Economy Alliance (GBA LAEA)

The Greater Bay Area Low Altitude Economy Alliance (GBA LAEA) was established on 23 September 2024. Its founding members include DAB, Smart City Consortium, China Mobile Hong Kong Co., Ltd., China Unicom Global Ltd., China Telecom Global Ltd. and China Travel International Investment Hong Kong Limited. LAEA aims to unite stakeholders from various sectors to support the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in promoting cross-border development of the low-altitude economy in the Greater Bay Area, nurturing high-quality talent for the low-altitude economy locally and nationally, and helping the GBA become a pioneer of and demonstration zone for the global development of the low-altitude economy.