From October 20 to 21, the 2025 iCANX Hong Kong Talent and Technology Forum was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Dr. XU Lihui, Assistant Secretary-General of the UNESCO International Centre for Engineering Education (ICEE) and a research member of the National Talent-Introduction Base for the Interdisciplinary Innovation of Engineering Education at Tsinghua University, was invited to attend the forum. The forum focused on six pivotal themes - Innovation, Science, Technology, Investment, Management, and Evolution (ISTIME), the event also showcased three esteemed awards: Innovation Award, Young Scientist Award, and Startup Award. Approximately 500 experts and scholars from around the world participated in the event.

On the morning of October 20, Dr. XU Lihui was invited to attend the parallel forum on AI for Innovative Engineering Education, where he delivered a speech titled Engineering Faculty Development in the AI Era: A Systemic Study of Competency Model, Evaluation System, and Career Development. Professors and scholars from the University of Hong Kong, the University of Cambridge, University College London, and the University of California, Berkeley gave presentations and engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as A Framework for Developing Hands-on Competency in Generative AI with Ethical Considerations, Amplifying Product Discovery using Multiple Communicative AI Agents, Advancing Biomedical Engineering Education with AI, and Designing Emerging Technologies: Encountering and Designing AI.

On October 22, Dr. XU Lihui was invited to visit the Innovation Wing of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), where he participated in a workshop themed “Humans and Artificial Intelligence: Building a Responsible Partnership.” The rapid development of AI is reshaping engineering education - interdisciplinary collaboration, digital literacy, and engineering ethics have become deeply integrated into teaching, research, and professional practice in engineering education. During the workshop, experts and faculty members, along with students from HKU’s Faculty of Engineering, held group discussions on these issues. They engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics such as AI-driven personalized learning, virtual laboratories, and digital twin technologies, exploring how these innovations can transform engineering education models and how engineering students can best prepare themselves for the AI era.

Workshop at the Innovation Wing of the Faculty of Engineering at the HKU

The Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing of the Faculty of Engineering at HKU was established in December 2020. It aims to promote interdisciplinary learning and research in engineering and technology among HKU faculty and students, as well as to foster innovation and entrepreneurship development.