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Hong Kong Life Sciences Society (HKLSS), which endeavors to nurture talent in the life sciences field, held its 5th Anniversary Celebration at AIRSIDE last night. Over 200 distinguished guests, including HKLSS advisory board members, mentors, employer representatives, industry and institutional partners, mentees and mentee alumni gathered to celebrate HKLSS’s contribution in providing extensive career opportunities for life sciences students, assisting them in leveraging Hong Kong’s access to Mainland China, attracting non-local students to pursue career development in Hong Kong, as well as positioning Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA) as a hub for life sciences and technology in Mainland China and globally. Celebrative moments on stage with distinguished guests Established in 2018, HKLSS aims to construct a dynamic life sciences ecosystem in Hong Kong through knowledge exchange, cross-sector collaboration and public engagement, as well as nurturing and attracting talent. In the five years since its founding, HKLSS has already convened over 2,000 members and 50 collaborators in both Hong Kong and Mainland China. Mr Vincent Cheung, the Founder and Board Chair of HKLSS, expressed in his welcoming remarks, “HKLSS will continue its commitment to enhancing the talent pipeline and fostering growth in the life sciences community. Our Society will amplify efforts to strengthen talent cultivation, in order to position Hong Kong and the GBA as a leading life sciences and technology hub not only in Mainland China but globally.” Mr Vincent Cheung gave out welcoming remarks Since its inception in Shanghai in 2019, HKLSS Summer Internship Program has assisted 180 students in completing their internships. Among them, 97% of students have pursued career opportunities or continuing education in the life sciences professions upon graduation. Cheung added, “We are dedicated to attracting and retaining non-local students, encouraging them to pick Hong Kong as their preferred location for advanced education, research, and forming technology firms. Through various activities, including seminars and workshops, we are actively targeting non-local students in Hong Kong and overseas, encouraging them to pursue life sciences careers in Hong Kong and Mainland China. Furthermore, we hope to foster science communication and raise awareness about the significance of life sciences in our daily lives. Through these efforts, HKLSS aims to contribute to the country's growth and positively impact the life sciences ecosystem.” Honorable Duncan Chiu delivered opening remarks Honorable Duncan Chiu, Legislative Council Member (Technology and Innovation), said, “The HKSAR Government has been striving to develop life sciences and compete for talent in recent years, including proactively nurturing local talents and attracting expats to pursue career development in Hong Kong. I hereby convey my deep gratitude to HKLSS for its efforts over the past five years. Not only has HKLSS provided the Hong Kong Life Sciences Scholarship Awards, which has supported outstanding undergraduate students to pursuing life sciences and biomedical sciences programs at six local universities, it has also established the Mentorship Scheme and Summer Internship Program. Such initiatives can “build nests to attract phoenixes”, helping retain talents for the innovative technology industry and Hong Kong by supporting locals and students from the Mainland to explore career opportunities and providing necessary support throughout their journeys. I wish HKLSS another five prosperous years in nurturing more new blood. Let us contribute to the development of Hong Kong as an international innovative technology centre together.” Professor Yuen Kwok-Yung encouraged students in his keynote address Professor Yuen Kwok-Yung, Member of the HKLSS Advisory Board, and Henry Fok Professor in Infectious Diseases and Chair of Infectious Diseases at the Department of Microbiology of The University of Hong Kong, encouraged students by sharing his experiences of becoming a specialist in both Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, “The purpose of science is to reveal what is hidden below the surface, or to remove what is covering reality; or to put it simply, to discover. No matter if you want to become a great doctor or scientist, you have to acquire good core values—fairness, compassion, humility and excellence — as well as learn to investigate an issue and compare it with these core values. We should reflect on ourselves daily, not to mention having the courage to acknowledge and rectify mistakes made. Young people have to be a team player who respects others and is sensitive to the needs of other team members.” Nearly 100 experts from the life sciences and biomedical sectors have participated in the Mentorship Scheme since its inauguration in 2019, benefiting over 330 mentees. Two groups of mentors and mentees shared their experiences and takeaways about the Scheme. A mentee said the scheme offers a unique lens to understand industry opportunities and is beneficial to future career planning. A former mentee has become a “Young Mentor” this year. He believed that identifying personal strengths and weaknesses, building a unique mix of generalist and specialist skills, as well as personal branding were beneficial areas of focus for growth. As a mentor, he wanted to facilitate the personal discovery process and offer advice to the mentees based on his time-tested career journey. He believed mentees can obtain possibly different but complementary suggestions and inspirations by connecting with mentors at different career stages. The 5th Mentorship Scheme has selected 100 participants from a record-high number of applications. They will follow 80 professional mentors, including three new “Young Mentors”. The HKLSS mentors include multiple notable figures, such as Dr Celine Chan, the Chief Operating Officer of Centre for Novostics; Professor Tom Cheung, the S H Ho Associate Professor of Life Science of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Mr Vincent Cheung, the Founder and Board Chair of HKLSS and the Group Chief Executive Officer of Nan Fung Group; Dr Benjamin Li, the Founder and the Director of Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited; and Mr Antony Leung, the Group Chairman of Nan Fung Group. Looking ahead, HKLSS will remain committed to investing in talent development and building closer relationships with start-ups and science organizations. Through these efforts, HKLSS aims to contribute to the country's growth and positively impact the life sciences ecosystem. HKLSS will also publish life sciences talent survey results tracking students and graduates of relevant university programs over three years, and launch enhanced supporting services for further studies and career development.

The two key annual programs of the Hong Kong Life Sciences Society (“HKLSS” or “the Society”), the Mentorship Scheme and the Summer Internship Program, have been met with enthusiastic responses this year, with a total of 700 applications received by the deadline of 15 January, doubling the number received in previous years. Many of the applicants are from overseas regions, such as the United States, Canada and Australia. To celebrate the Society’s 5th anniversary, HKLSS will be holding the 5th Anniversary Celebration cum Mentorship Scheme Kick-off Ceremony in March, bringing together industry leaders and young students and kick-starting a new journey in which knowledge and experience will be passed down to a new generation, with a view to fulfilling the Society’s mission of cultivating talent in life sciences. Celebrating the 5th Anniversary and Seizing the Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area Approaching the milestone of its 5th anniversary this year, HKLSS will organise a series of activities to connect the industry and promote public engagement, furthering its mission of cultivating talent and boosting the development of Hong Kong’s life sciences industry. In the future, the Society will strengthen co-operation with local institutions and enterprises in the Greater Bay Area, holding more study tours, internships and seminars in both Hong Kong and the mainland, so as to encourage young people to seek opportunities in mainland China while basing themselves in Hong Kong.  Professor Ken Wong, Executive Director of HKLSS, is pleased to see an increase in the number of applications for the two programs. This year, many students from the top 100 universities in the QS World University Rankings have applied for the programs and many overseas students are interested in returning to Hong Kong for internships. The Society hopes to attract more talent from the mainland and overseas in order to build a dynamic life sciences ecosystem in Hong Kong. Assembling Industry Elites to Support Young Students The one-year Mentorship Scheme has always been a highlight among the Society’s events, enjoying immense popularity among the mentees and the industry. Since its inauguration in 2019, the number of the scheme’s mentors and mentees has seen exciting growth year after year. As the program enters its 5th year, nearly 100 professional mentors have been invited to participate in the scheme, including experts in life sciences and biotechnology-related industries, young entrepreneurs and senior management, such as Mr Vincent Cheung, CEO of Nan Fung Group, Prof Daniel Lee, Associate Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise) of CUHK, Mr Antony Leung, Chairman of Nan Fung Group, Dr Benjamin Li, Founder and Director of Lee’s Pharmaceutical Holdings Ltd., and Mr Andrew Pang, Principal of Ally Bridge Group. As for the mentees, the Society is now conducting a selection process in which about 100 participants will be chosen from a pool of applicants. The Scheme is targeted at undergraduate and postgraduate students aged 18 or above studying life sciences–related disciplines. Interested graduates or students studying other subjects will also be considered on a case-by-case basis. After the selection, students will be matched with mentors according to their backgrounds and preferences in the areas of business development, entrepreneurship, life sciences–related investments, science communication, research and development, and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG). Each mentor will be assigned one to two mentees and will meet with them regularly to share their valuable experience and insights. Dr Stella Wong, a former mentee of the Mentorship Scheme who will soon become a Young Mentor, said, “I was honoured to be mentored by Dr Benjamin Li, Founder and Director of Lee’s Pharmaceutical Holdings Ltd., who shared with me his journey from a start-up to a large-scale enterprise, as well as his insightful experiences on selecting the right investors for the business, which was extremely rewarding.” Exploring More Locations in the Mainland with Internships and Study Tours The Life Sciences Summer Internship Program was also met with an overwhelming response, with the number of postgraduate applicants being the highest ever. The program provides six weeks of internship opportunities for university students each year, taking them out of campus to work in start-ups, venture capital firms, NGOs, and healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, where they will be exposed to cutting-edge research and technology, and are able to explore the development of the field together with industry practitioners. Having engaged organisations in both Hong Kong and Shanghai last year for the first time, the program will expand further to Shenzhen this year. In addition, the Society will collaborate with biotechnology enterprises in the mainland to organise a one-week summer study tour to Wuxi and Shanghai, providing interns with an in-depth understanding of the life sciences development trends in the Yangtze River Delta and a glimpse of the culture of Hong Kong and mainland enterprises. The program is now in its selection stage and more details will be announced in due course. Ms Lisa Cai, Director of Pivotal Life Sciences, one of the participating companies, has been in close contact with the interns. She noticed that after joining the program, the interns became aware that they had a wide range of career paths to choose from after graduation, and that research and development or professorship was no longer their only option since their internships had enabled them to develop their careers in many different areas. Approaching its 5th anniversary, HKLSS will continue to nurture more talent and promote the development of the life sciences industry in the future. For more information about the 5th Anniversary celebrations, please visit this link.

Hong Kong Life Sciences Society (HKLSS or the Society) held a Presentation Ceremony for the Hong Kong Life Sciences Scholarship Awards (the Scholarship Awards) on 14 October to honor 10 outstanding undergraduate students in life sciences and biomedical science. This year, the Society has introduced Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to evaluate the applicants’ talents and soft skills in different aspects, with a view to selecting the students who demonstrated extraordinary potential. Mr Vincent Cheung, Founder and Chairman of HKLSS, Mr Antony Leung, HKLSS Vice Chairman, Mr Charles Ng, Guest of Honor, selection panel, institutional representatives and awardees Assisting Professional Assessment with AI and Selecting Talents by Industry Standards The Scholarship Awards consisted of two rounds of interviews, and all applications were meticulously assessed by professional judges. In the first round, AI technology was introduced to help the judges get a better understanding of the applicants’ profiles, evaluating their problem-solving ability, vision and entrepreneurial mindset, communication skills, collaboration and self-learning capacity. To test their spontaneous reactions and performance under stress, students were required to answer questions within a time limit during the interview. Meanwhile, the AI program would analyze their level of confidence and on-the-spot reactions based on their facial expressions. Shortlisted candidates who were invited to the second interview were then assessed by a selection panel formed by experts in the field. Referring to standards and trends within the industry, they evaluated the students’ potential and decided whether they were qualified for the scholarship. The judges were exceptionally pleased with the students’ outstanding performance, which far exceeded their expectations. They believed that students were familiar with different online systems after participating in online classes frequently in the past few years. The application of AI technology automated the interview process and helped the Society in handling a large number of applications, thus improving the overall efficiency. Enthusiastic Response from Applicants and the Diverse Backgrounds of the Awardees This year’s Scholarship Awards received an overwhelming response from over 110 applicants, who are from 6 local tertiary institutions with diverse backgrounds. The 10 awardees are students from City University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong who are studying biomedical science, biotechnology, veterinary medicine and pharmacy. By supporting students from different disciplines, HKLSS hopes to inspire breakthrough research, encourage innovative thinking and promote cross-disciplinary collaboration, thereby laying a solid foundation for the future development of the life sciences. Mr Charles Ng, Executive Director of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Financial Secretary's Office, is giving a speech The Society invited Mr Charles Ng, Executive Director of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Financial Secretary's Office to be the Guest of Honor of the ceremony, while Mr Vincent Cheung, Founder and Chairman of HKLSS, presented the awards. With a view to bringing together organizations from different professional fields and promoting exchanges, the Society also invited representatives from various tertiary institutions and the nominators. Nurturing All-Round Leaders with Enriching Experiences The Scholarship Awards were established in 2022 by HKLSS with a goal of supporting outstanding undergraduate students to pursue life sciences or biomedical studies in local universities. This year, students were required to submit a proposal on the integration of life sciences into the community as they apply for the Scholarship Awards, which is in line with the Society’s mission of promoting the practical and social application of life sciences in the society. In addition to the HK$50,000 scholarship, each awardee will also be entitled to participate in the Society’s 12-month Mentorship Scheme and be given priority to apply for the Summer Internship Program. While the scholarship enables students to focus on their studies, the diverse learning opportunities that come with it can also broaden their horizons, enrich their academic and professional experiences, and support their all-round development so as to nurture them into future leaders in the life sciences and biotech industry. One of this year’s scholarship awardees, Chong Jer Shyuen, a third-year student majoring in biomedical science at the University of Hong Kong, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Society for its support, “I am thrilled to participate in the Mentorship Scheme and to have the opportunity to take part in an internship. I hope I will get to know the experts in the field and learn from them to enhance my skills and broaden my network. I will continue to strive for excellence academically, contribute to the community by taking part in the developments of life sciences and biotechnology.”