In a significant boost for HKUST engineering technology transfer and Pearl River Delta economic development, the HKUST LED-FPD Technology R&D Center in Foshan, Guangdong, opened in March to undertake innovative research on light-emitting diodes (LED) and flat panel displays (FPD).

The state-of-the-art Center is the result of an enterprising joint initiative by HKUST and Nanhai District Government of Foshan City. The Nanhai Government has provided start-up funding of RMB25 million and 1,800 square meters of space, including infrastructure and laboratory equipment, while HKUST is providing technology and management resources. The Director of the Center is School of Engineering faculty member Prof Ricky Shi-wei Lee, Mechanical Engineering.

The Center seeks to enhance research and characterization standards and provide consultancy services to industry. It will leverage the energy-efficient and environmentally friendly aspects of LED technologies and focus on applied research, developing LED packaging as its core technology.

Prof Lee noted that the Pearl River Delta region housed a cluster of upstream, mid-stream and downstream LED enterprises and was a hub of LED packaging and investment. He said the Center’s expertise in R&D and technology transfer will help enhance competitiveness, creating favorable conditions for the industries’ long-term development.

Services at the center include material preparation and characterization, simulation and modeling, chip level packaging prototyping, board level assembly prototyping, optical, electrical and thermal characterization, reliability testing, failure analysis, and technical training.

Among the guests at the Opening Ceremony were mainland government officials and members of the HKUST administration, including President Prof Tony F Chan. The University and Nanhai Government also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on collaborations, technology transfer and talent development in Foshan and Hong Kong.