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HKBU Art Tech Delegation in Europe to foster collaborations and technology translation with academia and industry
16 Nov, 2023
In a pioneering initiative to strengthen ties with Europe in the realm of Art Tech innovation and technology translation, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) recently organised a delegation to visit pioneering institutes and industry in Europe. The visit, which underpins HKBU's broader mission, aimed to foster high-impact strategic alliances, facilitate academic exchanges, and promote cross-disciplinary research collaborations and the commercialisation of innovation and creativity to generate social and economic impact.
The delegation was organised by HKBU’s Institute for Innovation, Translation and Policy Research (ITPR) and led by President and Vice-Chancellor Prof. Alexander Wai and Interim Chief Innovation Officer Prof. Terence Lau, and joined by Associate Vice President cum Founding Dean of School of Creative Arts Prof. Johnny Poon, Chair Professor in the Academy of Visual Arts Prof. Jeffrey Shaw, and representatives of ITPR. Innovative startups like BAM Limited and Immersive Unlimited Limited were also represented.
During its visit, the delegation engaged in insightful discussions at prominent universities, including King’s College London (KCL), University of the Arts London (UAL), University College London (UCL), Royal College of Art (RCA), and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Each conversation was a deep dive into various Art Tech facets, ranging from Creative AI, digital humanities, virtual environments, web3, to bridging the gap between creativity and the commercial world. The delegation's journey also led them to the Serpentine Galleries – two contemporary art galleries and Outernet London, where the team gained insights into how art technology can transform a district into a world-class entertainment, art, and culture hub. Establishing platforms for knowledge exchange and fostering collaborations at the intersection of arts and science, and where East meets West is imminent in today’s dynamic global environment.
The ArtTech Forum 2023 in Villars, Switzerland, marked another significant stop for the delegation as it offered a platform to connect with art tech innovators, artists, incubators, accelerators, investors, and representatives of cultural and international organisations. The team dived into the key challenges and impacts of technology on our cultural and creative sectors, covering various disciplines of art and art tech.