To underscore transformative achievements and public acclaim, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University announces the results of the inaugural “PolyU Top 10 Research & Innovation Stories of the Year” voting campaign. The campaign features outstanding research stories released by PolyU in 2025, showcasing the University’s strong research capabilities and commitment to translating groundbreaking discoveries into societal advancements.
The final Top 10 list was determined through a combination of public voting and professional assessments, recognising impactful work that addresses pressing local and global challenges. In addition, three stories garnered the highest number of public votes, reflecting strong community recognition of their significance and societal relevance.
香港理工大學公布首屆「理大年度十大科研與創新故事」投票活動結果，表彰這些卓越的科研成就及公眾認可。該活動精選了理大於2025年發布的卓越研究創新故事，展現理大的科研實力，推動前沿研究轉化為惠及社會創新的方案。
最終十大得獎名單由公眾投票及專業評審共同選出，表揚對本地及全球迫切需要具深遠影響的研究成果。此外，並選出公眾投票最高三大故事，反映出社群對其重要性和社會意義的高度認可。
The final list of “PolyU Top 10 Research & Innovation Stories of the Year” (in chronological order)
| Principal Investigator | Topic | Research Focus |
| Prof. Zuankai WANG Associate Vice President (Research), Dean of Graduate School, Kuok Group Professor in Nature-Inspired Engineering and Chair Professor of Nature-Inspired Engineering of the Department of Mechanical Engineering Prof. Haimin YAO Associate Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering | Innovation for self-stimulated ejection of freezing droplets unlocks cost-effective applications in de-icing | The research team has invented a self-powered mechanism for ejecting freezing droplets, enabling droplets to shoot themselves away. This innovation could catalyse the development of self-powered methods for a variety of purposes, including de-icing, energy harvesting, and soft robotic applications. |
| Prof. Jianli CHEN Chair Professor of Space Geodesy and Earth Sciences of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics | Utilising satellite positioning data to track Greenland’s ice sheet melt behaviour and assess its impact on sea-level rise | The global research team has integrated various modern space geodetic techniques, particularly satellite positioning data, to monitor the subsidence of vertical bedrock and quantify summer water storage in the Greenland ice sheet. This achievement offers new insights into ice sheets’ role in sea-level rise. |
| Prof. Anqi QIU Director of the Mental Health Research Centre, Professor of the Department of Health Technology and Informatics and Global STEM Scholar | Sustained obesity may ccelerate brain ageing | Unveiled research to advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between obesity and cognitive health in adults. It highlights the dynamic relationship between obesity progression and brain-cognitive health. |
| Prof. Larry CHOW Ming-cheung, Head and Professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, | Advanced Therapy Product Laboratory gives hope to spinal cord injury patients, supporting Hong Kong’s development into an international health and medical innovation hub | The newly established PolyU Advanced Therapy Product Laboratory will promote precision and personalised medicine through the introduction of advanced therapy products. The team will collaborate with the biopharmaceutical industry to manufacture cell therapy products for spinal cord injuries, and utilise the expert knowledge from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences to offer a one-stop approach from precision medicine to rehabilitation. |
| Prof. YIN Jun Assistant Professor of the Department of Applied Physics | Record 33.89% power-conversion efficiency achieved with novel bilayer passivation strategy in tandem solar cells | The research team has pioneered a novel bilayer interface passivation strategy to develop tandem solar cells that achieve a record-high power-conversion efficiency of 33.89%. It unlocks the application potential of perovskite technologies in photovoltaics and renewable energy. |
| Prof. Changwen CHEN Interim Dean of the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences and Chair Professor of Visual Computing of the Departmen of Computing | Novel multi-modal agent facilitates long video understanding by AI, accelerating development of generative AI-assisted video analysis | While AI technology is evolving rapidly, AI models still struggle with understanding long videos. The team has developed a novel video-language agent, VideoMind, that enables AI models to perform long video reasoning and question-answering tasks by emulating humans’ way of thinking. |
| Prof. Ben KO Chi-bun Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology | Discovery of Chinese medicine extract tetrandrine’s target and mechanism opens new avenues for treating viral infection and Alzheimer’s Disease | The research team has discovered that tetrandrine works by blocking the transport of sphingosine – a lipid molecule essential for cellular signalling – and inhibiting calcium channels. Their research has revealed the critical mechanism of tetrandrine for the first time, opening new avenues for drug discovery and disease treatment. |
| Prof. YANG Hongxia Executive Director of the PolyU Academy for Artificial Intelligence (PAAI), Associate Dean (Global Engagement) of the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, and Chair Professor of Generative Artificial Intelligence of the Department of Computing | PolyU reshapes AI training paradigm, significantly reducing costs and democratising AI research | The PAAI team is pushing the boundaries of AI with a novel collaborative GenAI paradigm known as Co-GenAI, which has the potential to transform frontier model training from a centralised, monolithic approach into a decentralised one. |
| Prof. LI Gang Sir Sze-yuen Chung Professor in Renewable Energy and Chair Professor of Energy Conversion Technology of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Prof. YANG Guang, Assistant Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering | Driving the commercialisation of energy-efficient solar cell technology towards a 40% efficiency milestone | Third-generation solar cell technology is advancing rapidly. The research team has reported a breakthrough in their review of perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells, addressing challenges in efficiency, stability and scalability. Their study aims to raise the energy conversion efficiency from the current maximum of about 34% to 40%. |
| Prof. Ai-Qun LIU Chair Professor of Quantum Engineering and Science of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Director of the Research Institute for Quantum Technology (RIQT) and Global STEM Scholar | PolyU successfully completes Hong Kong's first chip-based quantum network and test | The research team has successfully developed a quantum communication chip to establish Hong Kong’s first quantum communication network. The team has achieved a breakthrough by successfully conducting a cybersecurity test on the world’s longest optical fibre quantum network, built utilising a quantum chip platform. |
「理大年度十大科研與創新故事」最終名單（按2025年刊發日期排序）
| 首席研究員 | 主題 | 研究焦點 |
王鑽開教授 姚海民教授 | 冷凍水滴自主噴射機制 實現具成本效益的除冰技術應用 | 研究團隊成功研發冷凍水滴噴射的自主驅動機制，令水滴能夠自行噴射而出，啟發自主驅動的技術發展，並延伸至不同用途如除冰、能量收集及軟體機器人的應用。 |
| 陳劍利教授 土地測量及地理資訊學系空間大地測量及地球科學講座教授 | 運用衛星定位數據 揭示格陵蘭冰蓋融化機制 助預測海平面上升速度 | 國際科學團隊首次運用衛星定位數據來分析格陵蘭冰蓋基岩的垂直位移情況，成功量化夏季融水儲量，以揭示冰蓋融化對全球海平面上升的影響。 |
| 仇安琪教授 精神健康研究中心主任、醫療科技及資訊學系教授及全球傑出創科學人教授 | 研究發現持續肥胖加速大腦退化 | 開展一項創新研究，加深我們對肥胖相關之神經機制的理解，以及其對成人認知健康的影響。研究對肥胖趨勢及其對成年人大腦和認知健康的影響，進行全面的縱向分析。 |
| 周銘祥教授 應用生物及化學科技學系系主任及教授 | 新設先進療法製品實驗室 為脊髓損傷患者帶來希望 助力香港成為國際醫療創新樞紐 | 理大新設先進療法製品實驗室推動以先進療法製品，建立精準和個人化醫療。團隊計劃與業界合作，生產針對脊髓損傷的細胞治療製品，並結合大學康復治療科學系的專業知識，提供從精準醫療到康復的一站式方案。 |
| 殷駿教授 應用物理學系助理教授 | 突破太陽能技術發展瓶頸 提升太陽能電池能量轉換率至33.89%新高 | 研究團隊提出創新的雙層界面鈍化策略，成功將鈣鈦礦/矽串聯太陽能電池的轉換效率提升至33.89%的紀錄新高，展現了光伏技術的潛力，推動太陽能技術和再生能源發展。 |
| 陳長汶教授 計算機及數學科學學院暫任院長及電子計算學系視覺計算講座教授 | 嶄新長視頻推理多模態框架 加速生成式人工智能應用於視頻分析 | 人工智能發展迅速，但不少模型在理解長視頻時仍面對不少挑戰。研究團隊開發多模態智能體VideoMind，令人工智能模型能通過模仿人類思考過程，理解長視頻及回答內容提問。 |
| 柯子斌教授 應用生物及化學科技學系副教授 | 破解中藥提取物粉防己鹼的關鍵標靶機制 為治療病毒感染、阿茲海默症等開啟新途徑 | 研究團隊發現粉防己鹼能藉由阻斷細胞訊號傳導的關鍵脂質分子鞘氨醇（sphingosine）的輸送，抑制鈣通道。研究首次揭示了粉防己鹼的關鍵作用機制，有望推動新藥研發及創新治療方案。 |
| 楊紅霞教授 理大人工智能高等研究院（PAAI）執行院長、計算機及數學科學學院副院長（環球事務）及電子計算學系生成式人工智能講座教授 | 理大重塑 AI 訓練範式 大幅降低成本並普及研究 | PAAI的研究團隊，創新提出「協作式生成人工智能（Co-Generative AI）」模式，將 AI 訓練從傳統集中式轉向分散式，為全球人工智能創新注入強勁動力。 |
| 李剛教授 鍾士元爵士可再生能源教授及電機及電子工程學系能源轉換技術講座教授 楊光教授 電機及電子工程學系助理教授 | 研究推動太陽能電池技術商業化 展望提高能量轉換效率達四成 | 第三代太陽能電池進展顯著，研究團隊在「鈣鈦礦/晶矽疊層」電池領域的評論中取得突破性進展，聚焦提升效率、增強穩定性與規模化製造等瓶頸，展望把這新型太陽能電池的能量轉換效率，由現時最高約34%提升至約40%。 |
| 劉愛群教授 電機及電子工程學系量子工程與科學講座教授、量子技術研究院院長及全球傑出創科學人教授 | 量子通訊晶片 成功完成香港第一個量子網絡測試 | 團隊研發了量子通訊晶片，成功搭建香港第一個量子通訊網絡。研究在量子通訊取得重要突破，完成了以量子晶片為平台的全球最長光纖量子通訊網絡安全測試，為量子通訊商業化應用，揭開了新的篇章。 |
In addition, three stories garnered the highest number of public votes, reflecting strong community recognition of their significance and societal relevance. They were:
| Principal Investigator | Topic | Research Focus |
| Prof. Dahua SHOU Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies, Associate Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles | Innovative sustainable personal cooling technologies combat global extreme heat | Global warming poses a growing threat to human health and work performance. The research team have been creating intelligent, superhero‑like garments that provide on‑demand adaptive cooling and clinician‑like health monitoring to help address the challenges of extreme heat. |
| Prof. Ben KO Chi-bun Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology | Discovery of Chinese medicine extract tetrandrine’s target and mechanism opens new avenues for treating viral infection and Alzheimer’s Disease | The research team have discovered that tetrandrine works by blocking the transport of sphingosine – a lipid molecule essential for cellular signalling – and inhibiting calcium channels. Their research has revealed the critical mechanism of tetrandrine for the first time, opening new avenues for drug discovery and disease treatment. |
| Prof. Larry CHOW Ming-cheung Head and Professor of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology | Advanced Therapy Product Laboratory gives hope to spinal cord injury patients, supporting Hong Kong’s development into an international health and medical innovation hub | Establishment of the PolyU Advanced Therapy Product Laboratory to drive precision and personalised medicine through the introduction of advanced therapy products. The team will collaborate with the biopharmaceutical industry to manufacture cell therapy products for spinal cord injuries, and utilise the expert knowledge from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences to offer a one-stop approach from precision medicine to rehabilitation. |
此外，有三個故事獲得了最高的公眾票數，反映出社群對其重要性和社會意義的高度認可，分別是：
| 首席研究員 | 主題 | 研究焦點 |
| 壽大華教授 利民先進紡織科技青年學者、時裝及紡織學院副教授 | 開創智慧可持續個人降溫新方案 應對全球極端高溫天氣 | 全球暖化日益威脅人類健康和工作效率。研究團隊研發一系列智慧型『超級英雄式』服裝，該服裝具備自我調溫與實時健康監測功能，能有效應對極端高溫天氣帶來的挑戰。 |
| 柯子斌教授 應用生物及化學科技學系副教授 | 破解中藥提取物粉防己鹼的關鍵標靶機制 為治療病毒感染、阿茲海默症等開啟新途徑 | 研究團隊，發現粉防己鹼能藉由阻斷細胞訊號傳導的關鍵脂質分子鞘氨醇（sphingosine）的輸送，抑制鈣通道。研究首次揭示了粉防己鹼的關鍵作用機制，有望推動新藥研發及創新治療方案。 |
周銘祥教授
| 新設先進療法製品實驗室 為脊髓損傷患者帶來希望 助力香港成為國際醫療創新樞紐 | 理大新設先進療法製品實驗室推動以先進療法製品，建立精準和個人化醫療。團隊計劃與業界合作，生產針對脊髓損傷的細胞治療製品，並結合大學康復治療科學系的專業知識，提供從精準醫療到康復的一站式方案。 |
Congratulations to all the winners!
The winners of the “Top 10 Research & Innovation Stories,” and the “Top 3 Stories by Public Vote” will receive prestigious prizes sponsored by Hotel ICON.
Each research team awarded for the “Top 10 Research & Innovation Stories” will be treated to an exquisite lunch for 12 people at Above & Beyond, Hotel ICON.
Each winner of the “Top 3 Stories by Public Vote” will enjoy a complimentary one-night stay at Hotel ICON.
恭喜所有的得獎者！
《理大年度十大科研與創新故事》和《公眾投票最高三大故事》將獲得由唯港薈贊助的尊貴獎品。
每個獲獎《理大年度十大科研與創新故事》的研究團隊將在 唯港薈天外天中菜廳享用一頓供 12 人享用的精緻午餐。
《公眾投票最高三大故事》的每位獲獎者可在 唯港薈免費入住一晚。
Voting Mileage Reward !
Winners of the Voting Mileage Reward will receive individual email notifications to personally collect their prizes at PolyU.
「投票里程獎賞」!
「投票里程獎賞」的得獎者將會收到個別的電子郵件通知，親自到理大領取獎品。