HKUST Leads National "973" IT Project

Abstract

[evdate 1999-03-04] For release 4 March 1999

HKUST LEADS NATIONAL "973" IT PROJECT

An information technology project headed by Dr Jun Gu, Reader in Computer Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, has recently been selected as a major information technology (IT) project in the National "973" Fundamental Research Program. The University is the only academic institution selected to lead a "973" IT project on the Chinese Mainland.

Ranked second among the 15 selected projects, the project is one of the largest IT projects on the Chinese Mainland with an estimated budget of about 67 million yuan (HK$ 63 million). All 15 projects were selected from 207 proposals through an extremely rigorous, multi-stage screening process that lasted two years.

"It is my honor to head a national IT research project as a scientist from Hong Kong. I am also delighted to help Mainland institutions and industries solve various urgent IT problems," Dr Gu said.

"973" Program is a new initiative by the Chinese Government following its "863" high-tech development program. In March 1986, China launched the "863" research program in the key areas of information technology, biology, aeronautics, defense, automation, energy, materials and oceanology. Ten years later, China has embarked on this new "973" Program with the aim of accelerating its scientific, economic and social development over the next decade and into the middle of the 21st century. The program involves six areas: energy, information technology, environment science, medicine and health, material science, and agriculture. The Government plans to inject a total of 2.5 billion yuan (HK$ 2.4 billion) into the "973" Program over the next five years, the largest-ever investment in its history.

In this project, Dr Gu will lead a national team consisting of a dozen universities and research institutes on the Chinese Mainland, studying computing theory and basic algorithms. Subsequently they will develop high-performance software systems in a number of IT infrastructure areas. These areas include mobile communications, satellite communications, VLSI circuit design, multimedia computing, interactive video networks, urban traffic control and management, industrial system engineering, medical and genetic information processing, Internet technology, financial market analysis and prediction, high-performance systems, and so on.

A distinguished scientist, Dr Gu has recently been honored by the Ministry of Science and Technology as one of the first 11 Chief Scientists, responsible for the full implementation of his "973" IT project, and enjoying full rights of decision-making, resource allocation and personnel appointment.

Dr Gu is internationally known for his work on developing fast algorithm and high-performance software systems. He and his research team have achieved enviable results in world-class research into various areas of information technology. Many of their high-tech products have been widely used in the United States, Europe and Japan. He has published more than 100 technical articles in journals, conferences, books, and patents, and has won numerous prestigious awards. He is currently associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, IEEE Transactions on VLSI Systems, Journal of Global Optimization, and associate editor-in-chief of IEEE Computer Society Press Editorial Board.

In the course of his work, Dr Gu will be collaborating with academic institutions and research agencies on the Chinese Mainland. These include: the Institute of Computing Technology and the Institute of Software from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, the University of Science and Technology of China, Zhejiang University, Southeast University, and the Ministry of Information Industry, among others. He is the Chair Professor of the Institute of Computing Technology and the Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and holds concurrent professorships in these Chinese universities.

Note to Editors: Direct your inquiries to Ms Jacky Tsang of the Office of University Development and Public Affairs at 2358-6306, or email pamedia@ust.hk