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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.