Innovation Summit unlocks capital and connections for emerging startups
13 May 2026
Organised by CUHK Innovation Limited (CUIL) and the University’s Knowledge Transfer Office, the CUHK Innovation Summit 2026 in mid-April brought together researchers, startup teams and global investors, accelerating the translation of research into real-world impact. A key highlight was the expansion of CUIL’s co-investment platform, with seven new institutional partners joining, pushing the total above 20. The move strengthens both funding capacity and industry connections for CUHK-affiliated startups.
Dr Norman Chan Tak-lam, Vice-Chairman of the CUHK Council and Chairman of the CUIL Board, emphasised the platform’s growing impact. He said: “For every HK$1 invested by CUHK Innovation Limited, it attracts approximately HK$10 from co-investors in the same financing round. This 1:10 ratio reflects the market’s high regard for the quality and potential of CUHK-affiliated startups.” He added that the expanding network is building a closer investment ecosystem to translate research into societal benefit.
Professor Sham Mai-har, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research), stated that CUHK is deeply committed to advancing research translation and knowledge transfer. Its Knowledge Transfer Office and CUIL form a mutually reinforcing engine that brings CUHK’s research excellence from insight to application. She added that this year’s summit continued to showcase the breadth of CUHK’s innovation strengths, highlighting the creativity and diversity of our research enterprise, while helping university teams identify “the right partners, resources and routes to impact”.
The summit also featured two panel discussions that provided deep insights into the commercialisation journey. The researchers’ panel, themed “From Research Excellence to Real-world Impact – a Cross-faculty Dialogue on Research Commercialisation”, involved Professor Philip Chiu, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine; Professor Tsang Hon-ki, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; and Professor Song Chunshan, Dean of the Faculty of Science; and was moderated by Professor Allen Chan Kwan-chee, Associate Vice-President (Knowledge Transfer). The speakers discussed the pathways required to bridge research excellence and real-world impact.
Another panel discussion, a session themed “Investor – Investee Dialogue: from Fundraising to Partnerships: Building Alignment in Deep-tech Ventures”, featured key startup founders and investors, who shared perspectives on alignment between academic founders and institutional investors. The second session featured discussion on the challenges in clinical translation and the importance of collaborative, non‑capital support in scaling science‑driven innovation.
The summit also showcased 17 CUHK-founded startups in physical science, engineering and biomedicine. The exhibition enabled direct engagement between founders and investors, offering first-hand insight into the breadth and momentum of CUHK’s innovation ecosystem.
