CUHK members provide their insights and share their knowledge to support the government’s policy formulation and implementation. Some of our members serve the advisory committees of the government. For example, Ms Natalie Chung, as a MoCC Scholar and CUHK Alumnus, serves as a member of the Council for Carbon Neutrality and Sustainable Development; Prof. Wong Kam-bo serves as a member of Advisory Council on the Environment; Prof. Tony Mok serves as a member of Advisory Committee on Health and Medical Innovation Development; and Prof. Anthony Chan serves as a member of Cancer Coordinating Committee. CUHK also co-hosts the Hong Kong Chapter of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN Hong Kong), one of the 59 national and regional networks set up in order to mobilize all sectors, including the government, to develop strategies and solutions for sustainable development.

The University promotes the development of science and technology, and has established five state key laboratories to support China’s technological and economic development.  CUHK also participates in the government’s Public Policy Research Funding Scheme and Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme, which are dedicated to fostering and supporting public policy research in Hong Kong.

CUHK co-operates with the government departments, district council and other institutions to participate in the mitigation plan and warning system for climate change. Examples of its work include:

• CUHK-led international research reveals for the first time that landslide-dammed lakes can trigger earthquakes and the discovery has implications for future disaster management and mitigation
• Research on extreme hot weather, high-density living and senior health in Hong Kong
• Agreement renewed to strengthen research, policy dialogue and training collaboration for disaster and medical humanitarian response, climate change and health

CUHK is committed to collaborating with other institutions and NGOs in building a sustainable future in the following areas:

Health

• The CUHK Centre for Entrepreneurship, together with the International Data Space Association, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, China Future Internet Engineering Center, and CU Datahub Limited, announced in January 2025 the establishment of the first cross-border medical data space in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area that meets international standards.
• Charles Kao CUHK BEAT AD Service jointly hosted by CUHK and The Charles K. Kao Foundation for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) to provide an one-stop service prevent the development and slow the progress of Alzheimer’s Disease through early intervention. The Clinical Neuroscience Centre at CUHK Medical Centre joins forces with the Foundation to establish a “Neurocognitive Registry” to advance medical research on dementia and AD
• ‘Jockey Club Age-friendly City’ in partnership with three local gerontology research institutes to make Hong Kong an elderly-friendly place to live in
• State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, a national level body established under the Ministry of Science and Technology
• Steering Committee of the Alliance for Healthy Cities, where CUHK is a member of this international committee
• Professor Emily Chan of Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response participated in the World Health Organization (WHO) ad hoc consultation: COVID-19 vaccines – Methodological approaches to assess variants effect on vaccine effects
• ‘Fitness x Mentorship’ Scheme, in collaboration with NGOs, and student volunteers to help vulnerable members to pursue sports
• AR-Home & AR-Centre Rehab Platforms, in collaboration with 7 local rehabilitation centres to design 46 training exercises for stroke survivors
• International Universities Climate Alliance (IUCA), CUHK is one of the members, to develop a framework for assessing and modelling effects on climate-sensitive health
• Jockey Club We WATCH Healthy Lifestyle Project, CUHK collaborates with various local institutions to support middle-aged individuals in adopting Lifestyle Medicine

Climate Education

• MoCC collaborated with the Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies of CUHK and the Audio Description Association (Hong Kong), to develop climate-related educational materials, particularly for those with special needs. The Inclusive Museum Exhibition, curated by the MoCC features interpretations in Hong Kong Sign Language and audio guides for selected exhibits, making crucial climate information more accessible to a wider audience.
• CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong co-organized the Global Conference on Climate Change: Polar Studies, Environment and Climate Change on 9–10 April 2024, to coincide with the visit of the first Chinese-built research vessel, Xue Long 2
• MoCC in collaboration with L’Oréal launched the Mobile Exhibition “The Fading Colours of Coral” in October 2023, to showcase potential threats of climate change on marine ecology
• The Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change, CUHK supports the Climate Action Recognition Scheme, initiated by Wofoo Social Enterprises
• Secondary School Coral Nursery Education Programme, in collaboration with the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department, WWF-Hong Kong and Ocean Park Hong Kong
• World at the Climate Crossroads is an exhibition in collaboration with the International University Climate Alliance (IUCA) to present a series of climate related poetic writings performed by 7 artists, trying to express their visions and aspirations on climate change and implementing solutions to environmental crisis

SDGs

• The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) consists of 25 research-intensive universities across six continents. Since joining WUN in 2011, CUHK has engaged in close to 100 projects and initiatives backed by the alliance, focusing on crucial subjects like climate change, public health, culture, higher education, and SDGs. Hosted by CUHK, the WUN Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2025 took place from 21 to 23 May. The event convened over 100 attendees from six continents, comprising university officials, scholars, and administrators, for dialogues on advancements in higher education and fostering impactful global research collaborations for societal betterment.
• SDSN Hong Kong, co-hosted by CUHK and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, one of the 59 national and regional chapters of the UN network, aims to mobilize universities, research and knowledge centres, NGOs, and businesses to develop policies, strategies and solutions for the advancement of the SDGs
• SDG Forum Series the SDSN Hong Kong and CUHK’s Office of University General Education co-organised a series of forum highly relevant to 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Sustainability Conference & BSI Recognition Ceremony 2024 co-organized by the Centre for Business Sustainability, CUHK and the Friends of the Earth to present the latest trends in consumers’ awareness and behaviour towards sustainable consumption
• Global Conference on Sustainable Development (GCSD 2023), co-organised by CUHK and SDSN Hong Kong in October 2023  to bring together over 1,600 online views and more than 300 on-site participants to address pressing environmental and social challenges and forge meaningful collaborations in pursuit of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• The International Symposium on Agricultural Genomics for Food Security and Plant-Environment Interaction in a Changing Climate, co-organised by the State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, the RGC-AoE Center for Genomic Studies on Plant-Environment Interaction for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security and Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability in August 2023, to highlight the pivotal role of genomics in shaping the future of agriculture, bringing together experts, researchers, and scholars from around the world to delve into the latest advancements in the field
• Ten projects funded by the CUHK-University of Exeter Joint Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Resilience (ENSURE) in 2019−2027 in various fields and which engaged over 30 researchers from both universities