CUHK and BGI jointly established the CUHK–BGI Innovation Institute of Trans-omics (The Innovation Institute). The inauguration ceremony, officiated by Prof. Liu Yingli (3rd left), former Executive Vice-Mayor of Shenzhen Municipal Government; Prof. Yang Huanming (3rd right), chairman and professor, BGI; Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung (centre), Vice-Chancellor of CUHK; Mr. Mo Jinqiang (2nd right), deputy director general of the Education, Science and Technology Department of Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR; Ms. Guo Yurong (2nd left), director of the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau; Prof. Wang Jian (1st right), president of BGI; and 
Prof. Chan Wai-yee (1st left), director of The Innovation Institute, took place on 18 July on CUHK campus. 


The unparalleled pace of advancement in genomic science during the last two decades was not complemented by the development of talent in the related fields, e.g., computational biology and bioinformatics. The training of professionals is crucial for the sustainability of the growth and the translation of genomic research outputs into products and services that benefit humankind. Capitalizing on each other’s research strengths in genomic science, CUHK and BGI established the Innovation Institute to focus on the training of individuals in the areas of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, clinical genetics, clinical genomics, computational biology and bioinformatics by developing basic and advanced education programmes, including master’s and doctoral programmes, in relevant fields. The institute will also enhance research collaboration and facilitate establishment of joint laboratories to meet the needs of expert training, academic research and biotechnology development. 


Professor Sung said during the inauguration ceremony, ‘The Innovation Institute will provide a platform for collaboration between scholars of CUHK and BGI to fully exploit the strengths in science and technology in the two institutions, advancing the application of genomic and proteomic research in clinical medicine.’


Professor Yang said, ‘The Innovation Institute will provide an excellent platform for the comprehensive training of trans-omics experts. With the rapid development of sequencing technology, multi-disciplinary talent is required to fully decode the miracle behind the genetic code from the enormous data output generated by sequencing.’