The inaugural Hong Kong Laureate forum will be held in November, with more than 20 Shaw Prize scientists set to exchange research and ideas with about 200 young scientists from 30 countries, including Thailand.
The forum, to be held from Nov 13–18, will serve as a world-class scientific exchange and networking event to nurture science leaders, according to the Hong Kong Laureate Forum (HKLF), which is organising it.
The forum was originally meant to be held in 2021, but postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Timothy Tong, chair of the HKLF, said the forum aims to foster exchanges among cross-generational, cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary scientists to promote science in Hong Kong and beyond.
"The HKLF has held a number of activities to create platforms for the local scientific research community to share with youngsters and participating Shaw Laureates, with thousands of young future scientists connected with the network," he said.
More than 20 Shaw Prize winners from the fields of astronomy, life science and medicine and mathematics will gather in Hong Kong to share their knowledge with young scientists, he said.
The Shaw Prize is an annual award presented by the Shaw Prize Foundation. Established in 2002 in Hong Kong, it honours scientists for their academic and research contributions.
Previous recipients have come from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, Japan and Israel.
Among the 200 young scientists expected to attend the forum is a Thai scientist in the biomedical engineering field.
The HKLF has been supported by the Lee Shau Kee Foundation since its launch in 2019, while the Shaw Prize Foundation, which organises the annual event, is also a main partner.
Sun Dong, Hong Kong's Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, said the government backs the work of the HKLF and the hosting of the forum to showcase tech development in Hong Kong.
Colin Lam, director of the Lee Shau Kee Foundation, said businessman Lee Shau Kee had set up the organisation to give back to society and support the work of the HKLF.