HKUST President Prof. Nancy IP to Attend “Winter Davos” | The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Prof. Nancy IP, President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is set to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Switzerland from January 17 to 19, 2024. As the only university head from Hong Kong at the "Winter Davos", she will share insights with esteemed leaders from around the world on various critical international issues, including aging population and climate change. 

Convening under the theme “Rebuilding Trust”, the Annual Meeting 2024 will bring together over 2,800 distinguished global leaders from 120 countries, including LI Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China; Emmanuel MACRON, French President; Ursula von der LEYEN, President of the European Commission; and Antony John BLINKEN, US Secretary of State. 

Other notable attendees also include António GUTERRES, Secretary-General of the United Nations; Kristalina GEORGIEVA, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; David MALPASS, President of the World Bank Group; and Ngozi OKONJO-IWEALA, Director-General of the World Trade Organization; Jamie DIMON, CEO of JPMorgan Chase and Satya NADELLA, CEO of Microsoft.

During the event, Prof. Ip will join two meetings under the Global University Leaders Forum (GULF) of the World Economic Forum, an exclusive platform consisting of 29 presidents of the world’s top universities, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford and Yale University. As the only member from Hong Kong in GULF, Prof. Ip will deliver an opening remark on how universities can contribute to achieving the objectives of a carbon-neutral and nature-positive world, while interacting with other university heads in another session on the future of artificial intelligence (AI). 

Prof. Ip will also serve as one of the Forum’s gala dinner hosts, in which she will discuss with other participants on forward-looking solutions for climate change through consolidating different sectors and utilizing scientific knowledge. Drawing upon her expertise as a neuroscientist, Prof. Ip will also join a panel session to share her thoughts on how the higher education sector can foster healthy aging via research and education. 

The Forum’s Annual Meeting, held annually in Davos, Switzerland, is a significant international event that gathers representatives from the political, business, academic, and media sectors from dozens of countries. It includes members from the G7, G20, and heads of international organizations who delve into major global issues and develop necessary strategies. This year’s meeting will focus on four major aspects, covering achieving security and cooperation in a fractured world, creating growth and jobs for a new era, AI as a driving force for the economy and society and a long-term strategy for climate, nature and energy. 

About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology 
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (https://hkust.edu.hk/) is a world-class research intensive university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Over 80% of our research work were rated “Internationally excellent” or “world leading” in the Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee. We were ranked 2nd in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2023, and our graduates were ranked 29th worldwide and among the best from universities from Asia in Global Employability University Ranking 2023. As of September 2023, HKUST members have founded 1,747 active start-ups, including 9 Unicorns and 13 exits (IPO or M&A), generating economic impact worth over HK$ 400 billion. InvestHK cited QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 to demonstrate the performance of five world’s top 100 local universities in several innovation-centric areas, among which HKUST ranked top in four engineering and materials science subjects.