HKUST School of Medicine (in development), Part 2: Founding Dean, Medical Complex Groundbreaking, and the Long-term Ngau Tam Mei Plan

This article follows on from HKUST School of Medicine (in development), Part 1: The bid, differentiated positioning, and curriculum structure^※, and details the profile of founding dean Prof. King Li, the groundbreaking and specifications of the Medical Education and Research Complex, the preparatory governance structure, the four-year curriculum design and admissions timeline, the international clinical partnership hospital network, and the two-phase development roadmap for the permanent campus at Ngau Tam Mei. For how HKUST prevailed over PolyU and HKBU in the bid, see HKUST Wins Hong Kong's "Third Medical School" Bid (November 2025)^※; for an institutional analysis of the land and financial arrangements behind the two-phase roadmap, see HK$2 Billion Medical Complex Breaks Ground – The Two-Phase Route from Clear Water Bay to a Permanent Campus at Ngau Tam Mei^※.

---

# 1. The Founding Dean: Prof. King Li

On 1 June 2026, Prof. King Li officially assumed the role of HKUST School of Medicine's founding dean^※. According to the university's announcement, his background is as follows: born in Hong Kong, he earned his MD (with honours) from the University of Toronto and an MBA from San José State University. A Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors in the United States, he holds 20 patents across the US, Australia, and Europe. He previously served as the founding dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) (2016–2021)—one of the world's first engineering-medicine hybrid medical schools, where the inaugural graduating class achieved a 100% pass rate on their licensing examinations. He has also held appointments at Stanford University, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Weill Cornell Medicine, among others.

Having a dean who has previously founded an 'engineering-medicine hybrid' medical school and whose first class achieved a perfect licensing exam pass rate is a precise fit for HKUST's differentiated positioning as a 'technology-driven medical school' (for the full background on this positioning, see HKUST School of Medicine (in development), Part 1^※).

---

# 2. The Medical Education and Research Complex: Groundbreaking Ceremony and Building Specifications

# Why is the Groundbreaking a Milestone?

The laying of the foundation stone for HKUST's "Medical Education and Research Complex" marks the HKUST School of Medicine's (SMED) official transition from government approval to physical development. On 28 April 2026, Chief Executive John Lee officiated the groundbreaking ceremony, attended by Director of the Liaison Office Zheng Yanxiong, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau, Secretary for Education Christine Choi, HKUST Council Chairman Prof. Joseph Sung, and President Prof. Nancy Ip^※. The status of the attendees was unusually high for a university building groundbreaking in Hong Kong. From a timeline perspective, the ceremony took place roughly five months after the Executive Council formally approved HKUST to establish the third medical school on 18 November 2025, marking the first structural expansion of Hong Kong's medical education in 44 years.

# What are the Building Specifications and SOM's Design Philosophy?

The Medical Education and Research Complex is co-designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and local architectural firm Wong Tung & Partners Limited (WTPL). With a total construction floor area of approximately 6,000 square metres across eight storeys, the project costs about HK$2 billion (approx. US$256 million), fully self-funded by HKUST, and is expected to be completed by mid-2028^※. This represents the first-phase physical investment within HKUST's overall commitment of over HK$7 billion for the medical school over 25 years.

SOM has conceived the building as a "jewel-like glass cube," featuring a triple-glazed low-emissivity glass façade with operable panels, balancing the energy demands of Hong Kong's subtropical climate with interior transparency. The building employs a vertical layout of a three-storey podium topped with a five-storey tower: the podium houses a lecture theatre, a medical library, a canteen, and classrooms; the upper tower accommodates faculty offices, a clinical skills and simulation centre, and research laboratories, with open-air atria on the third and sixth floors serving as collaborative learning hubs^※. The ground lobby and a cascading green staircase leading towards Shaw Plaza integrate the building into the existing topography and sightlines of the Clear Water Bay campus.

# How Did HKUST Self-Fund the HK$2 Billion? What is the Overall Financial Commitment?

HKUST's financial plan for the medical school operates on two levels: short-term physical construction investment and long-term operational commitment. HKUST fully self-funded the approximately HK$2 billion to construct the Clear Water Bay medical complex, without relying on a dedicated government grant^※, a fact that was one of the key proofs of capability in its bid that defeated PolyU and HKBU. This HK$2 billion is a component of HKUST's total commitment of over HK$7 billion for the medical school over the next 25 years^※; the government, in turn, will provide matching funds at a roughly one-to-one ratio, also committing over HK$7 billion in support over 25 years, bringing the combined total to over HK$14 billion (approx. US$1.8 billion). President Nancy Ip has stressed that the funds will come from HKUST's own reserves and donations, and that the university is not relying on public deficit financing to begin construction.

# Where Did the 7 Hired Professors Come From? How is HKUST Avoiding Poaching from Existing Medical Schools?

As of April 2026, seven clinical professors with international clinical and research backgrounds from the United States, Europe, and Australia have already assumed their posts^※. More than 30 scholars from the US, Europe, Australia, and Singapore have expressed an intention to join^※, indicating that the international talent pool's identification with the HKUST School of Medicine far exceeds early expectations. President Nancy Ip has explicitly stated that HKUST will not poach faculty from the two existing medical schools at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)^※, and has proposed future collaboration among the three medical schools on cross-institutional course enrolment—HKUST students could take courses at HKU or CUHK, and students at the two existing medical schools could take AI-related courses at HKUST.

# Statements from Officials

In his remarks at the groundbreaking, Chief Executive John Lee noted: "The National 15th Five-Year Plan supports Hong Kong's development into an international hub for high-calibre talent. The new medical school will help realise this vision,"^※ stating that it would cultivate a new generation of doctors with "professional competence, technological mastery, a global perspective, and a patient-centric ethos." HKUST Council Chairman Prof. Joseph Sung remarked: "Today's groundbreaking ceremony is historic. This building will be where our founding class of students begins their training in 2028." President Nancy Ip emphasised that the HKUST School of Medicine would focus on "the application of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robotics in healthcare" to nurture "clinically excellent and technologically adept doctors"^※.

---

# 3. Preparatory Governance: Memorandum of Understanding and Steering Committee

# How is the Preparatory Work Divided Between HKUST and the Government?

The medical complex's groundbreaking is only the visible part; before the first shovel hit the ground, HKUST and the SAR government had already established a preparatory governance framework. HKUST and the government plan to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2026, with a framework covering four major areas: curriculum accreditation, funding arrangements, teaching hospital resources, and faculty recruitment^※. A Steering Committee will be established for strategic guidance, alongside an interim executive office to coordinate all preparatory work before the founding dean formally takes up the post. A regular reporting mechanism between HKUST and the government has been in place since Q1 2026, with the goal of compressing a preparation process that could otherwise take years, ensuring the inaugural 2028/29 academic year intake target is not delayed. This governance arrangement explains the mere five-month gap between the Executive Council's approval on 18 November 2025 and the groundbreaking on 28 April 2026—intensive inter-departmental coordination was the key.

# What is the Key Hurdle for Medical Curriculum Accreditation?

HKUST's new medical school intends to launch a four-year, publicly-funded graduate-entry Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme in the 2028/29 academic year, with an initial intake of about 50 students. However, the entire admissions and programme launch plan is contingent upon obtaining "agreement-in-principle" for its medical curriculum from the Medical Council of Hong Kong^※. The University Grants Committee (UGC) has also publicly welcomed HKUST's preparation for the third medical school and supported the curriculum accreditation process to proceed expeditiously^※. In other words, the Executive Council's approval in November 2025 only resolved the question of "who will run it"; the question of "can classes begin" still rests with the Medical Council, a professional accreditation gatekeeper independent of the government's administrative process. This is an institutional design feature safeguarding the quality of Hong Kong's medical education, preventing administrative approval from overriding professional standards.

---

# 4. Curriculum Design: Integrating Technology and Early Clinical Exposure into a Four-Year Programme

# What is the Four-Year Phased Structure of HKUST's Medical Curriculum?

The HKUST School of Medicine offers a four-year Graduate-Entry MBBS programme. Year 1 is "Foundations of Medicine," introducing core biomedical sciences and arranging early clinical exposure through primary care attachments. Year 2 is "Core Clinical Education," combining biomedical sciences with clinical content, social sciences, and population health. Years 3 and 4 are primarily clinical rotations, with specialty and sub-specialty clerkships in hospitals and clinics, preparing students for the internship year and independent practice^※. Compared with the more traditional curricula historically used by the HKU and CUHK medical schools, HKUST's phased design emphasises the philosophy of "the earlier the patient contact, the better"—clinical skills laboratories, simulation training, and practice with real patient interviews and physical examinations are arranged from the first year, rather than concentrating clinical placements in the senior years.

# What Cross-Disciplinary Themes Run Throughout the Curriculum?

The HKUST medical curriculum features six longitudinal themes that run through the entire programme: Evidence-Based and Precision Medicine; Technology, AI, Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Professionalism, Medical Ethics, and Empathy; Quality, Safety, and High-Value Care; Health Policy, Economics, and Management; and Population Health and Global Health Security^※. These are not standalone courses but themes woven into the teaching modules across all four years. This design is in direct continuity with the 'engineering-medicine fusion' educational experience that Prof. King Li pioneered at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, as discussed in Section 1 on the founding dean. It also echoes the focus on "the application of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robotics in healthcare" that President Nancy Ip stressed at the groundbreaking ceremony (see Section 2 on the Medical Education and Research Complex). The overall teaching venue for the curriculum will be the Clear Water Bay Medical Education and Research Complex, due for completion in mid-2028—facilities like the clinical skills and simulation centre and team-based learning studios were specifically planned to deliver this particular curricular design.

# What are the Admissions Requirements and Timeline?

Applicants must hold or be expected to hold a recognised bachelor's degree in health sciences, biological sciences, or a related field, and must have completed the MCAT or GAMSAT examination within two years prior to submitting their application. English proficiency must meet the university's standard, while Chinese proficiency will be assessed at the interview stage (with the Dean having the discretion to grant a waiver)^※. Application materials also require a personal statement and academic or professional letters of recommendation. The admissions timeline is phased: detailed admissions requirements will be announced by late 2026, the online application portal will open in mid-2027, rolling assessment and interview invitations will occur throughout 2027, and the application cycle will close in mid-2028, with successful candidates commencing studies in the 2028/29 academic year^※. Of the initial cohort of approximately 50 places, local and overseas students will each account for roughly half, reflecting HKUST's aim to ensure a supply of doctors for the local healthcare workforce while maintaining an international faculty and student body. It is crucial to note that the official page explicitly states the entire admissions process and programme commencement timeline are "subject to the accreditation outcome by the Medical Council," and are intended as indicative arrangements.

---

# 5. The Clinical Placement Partnership Hospital Network

HKUST has signed approximately 40 international medical collaboration agreements, building a diverse clinical training network.

# Private Hospitals in Hong Kong (Signed March 2025)

HKUST signed collaboration agreements with Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital and Hong Kong Adventist Hospital on 10 March 2025^※, providing clinical training arrangements for its medical students. Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital also became the first private hospital in Hong Kong to provide clinical training for undergraduate medical students.

# Top Teaching Hospitals in Mainland China

HKUST signed strategic partnership agreements with Huashan Hospital of Fudan University and Ruijin Hospital, affiliated with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine^※ (25 November 2025), covering AI clinical applications, precision medicine, and talent exchanges. HKUST also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the First Affiliated Hospital, Second Affiliated Hospital, and Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine^※ (27 January 2026), focusing on medical education innovation, clinical training, and joint research.

# International Medical School Collaborations

HKUST has engaged institutions such as Imperial College London in the UK and the University of California, San Diego in the US for curriculum advisory and student exchange partnerships^※, and has signed cooperation memoranda with Peking Union Medical College Hospital and the University of Edinburgh, among others.

---

# 6. Long-term Campus Plan: A Two-Phase Roadmap

The development blueprint for the HKUST School of Medicine is clearly divided into two phases, spanning nearly a decade.

Phase 1 (2026–2028): Construction phase. The HK$2 billion Medical Education and Research Complex will be built on the existing Clear Water Bay campus, with completion expected by mid-2028. It will provide eight storeys and approximately 6,000 square metres of teaching and research space, serving as the transitional teaching base for the inaugural cohort of medical students. With the first intake of about 50 students commencing in the 2028/29 academic year, HKUST will operate its medical school from the Clear Water Bay campus for at least six to seven years.

Phase 2 (2034–35): Permanent relocation. The government has reserved land in the Ngau Tam Mei Development Area within the Northern Metropolis for the construction of a permanent medical school campus and an integrated teaching hospital, targeted for completion in 2034–35^※. By that point, the medical school will possess dedicated, comprehensive clinical training facilities and inpatient service capabilities. The Ngau Tam Mei integrated teaching hospital will combine medical education, research, and patient care functions, forming the core infrastructure for HKUST's large-scale presence in the Northern Metropolis. The annual student intake is also planned to gradually scale up from the initial 50 to approximately 200 by this phase.

Why build at Clear Water Bay instead of moving directly to Ngau Tam Mei? The two-phased approach stems from the objective mismatch between the infrastructure development timeline for the Ngau Tam Mei Development Area and the inaugural intake schedule for HKUST's medical school. The overall infrastructure for the relevant development area (roads, utilities, hospital buildings) will not be completed and operational until around 2034, well after the 2028/29 academic year start date. Rather than delaying admissions to wait for the permanent campus, HKUST opted to self-fund the construction of a fully functional interim building at Clear Water Bay first. This ensures the training of urgently needed doctors in Hong Kong proceeds according to the original timeline, while simultaneously laying the long-term institutional foundation of a teaching hospital in the Northern Metropolis. This 'interim first, permanent later' strategy also secures critical lead time for curriculum accreditation, faculty deployment, and clinical network integration. For the specific institutional arrangements that will see three public hospitals (United Christian Hospital, Tseung Kwan O Hospital, and Kai Tak Hospital) share some clinical teaching functions during the interim period, see HK$2 Billion Medical Complex Breaks Ground – The Two-Phase Route from Clear Water Bay to a Permanent Campus at Ngau Tam Mei (Institutional Analysis)^※.

---

# 7. Key Timeline

---

# 8. What Does This Building Mean for Hong Kong's Medical Landscape?

The groundbreaking of the "Medical Education and Research Complex" holds a dual significance, both symbolic and physical. Symbolically, it transforms the November 2025 policy approval into a tangible construction site, demonstrating that the HKUST School of Medicine is not just a paper vision. Physically, by 2028 it will provide Hong Kong with a purpose-built facility, designed by international architectural leaders SOM, that integrates clinical teaching, simulation training, and basic research, helping to address the city's long-standing public healthcare manpower shortage. John Lee concluded his speech at the groundbreaking by saying, "This is what we are building for the future—for Hong Kong, and for every patient who will one day be treated by a doctor trained here,"^※ highlighting the political importance the government places on this project. When the HKUST School of Medicine relocates from Clear Water Bay to its permanent campus at Ngau Tam Mei in 2034–35, it will form a high degree of synergy with the overall Northern Metropolis plan—including the Greater Bay Area technology and innovation corridor centred on the Lok Ma Chau Loop—establishing itself as one of the core anchors of HKUST's Greater Bay Area strategy.

Note: The building specifications, financial figures, number of collaboration agreements, and timeline stated in this article are based on the information available on the source pages as of their publication dates and are time-sensitive. Arrangements are subject to ongoing updates; please refer to the latest official announcements from HKUST before citing.

---

# Related Reading

• HKUST Wins Hong Kong's "Third Medical School" Bid (November 2025)—The Tender Battle that Defeated PolyU and HKBU^※: The bidding system, the ten assessment criteria, and the redirection of PolyU and HKBU after their rejection.
• HK$2 Billion Medical Complex Breaks Ground – The Two-Phase Route from Clear Water Bay to a Permanent Campus at Ngau Tam Mei (Institutional Analysis)^※: The Ngau Tam Mei land timeline, interim clinical teaching arrangements at public hospitals, and the financial matching mechanism.
• HKUST School of Medicine (in development), Part 1: The Bid, Differentiated Positioning, and Curriculum Structure^※: The origins of the HKUST School of Medicine's differentiated positioning and curriculum architecture.

---