Bulletin No. 2, 2011

2   Chinese University Bulletin No. 2, 2011 T eaching and research are the missions of the University through which knowledge is preserved, created, applied and disseminated. In recent years, the University Grants Committee (UGC) has encouraged Hong Kong’s tertiary institutions to regard the boosting of capacity in ‘knowledge transfer’ (KT) as their third mission, with an aim to applying research outcomes to society for the latter’s benefit. In this connection, the UGC successfully lobbied the government to introduce a new stream of recurrent funding in 2009 for KT. This additional funding signifies the ongoing commitment of the government to the support of KT. KT refers to the transfer and application of knowledge to the community. It encompasses various aspects. While technology transfer is included, scholarly output from the arts, humanities and social sciences make equally important contributions, specifically to the transmission of humanistic cultural values and improvement in quality of life, and as such should also be shared with the public. CUHK has been a pioneer in the promotion of KT. With the UGC’s additional funding, the University commits itself to enhancing KT development and building a culture for such practices. In this issue of the Bulletin , we profile policies governing KT at the University, as well as its development and outcomes. We will also highlight specific cases, some supported by the UGC’s Knowledge Transfer Fund and some by other funding sources. The University’s Third