Initiatives launched

In 2018, in response to Xi's instructions, the central authorities announced a series of initiatives, which included allowing higher education and research institutions in Hong Kong to apply for national-level funding for science and technology, while receiving cross-border remittances for approved projects. The oceanographic community was among the first beneficiaries.

Since 2019, the Hong Kong branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) has received 114 million yuan ($16.23 million) in national funding, which is used mainly for research, expeditions, and international exchanges and cooperation.

Qian said the central government also allows faculty members at Hong Kong universities to apply for grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Ministry of Science and Technology. He said this policy has had a great impact, as it encourages more Hong Kong scholars to actively understand the nation's progress in science and technology, allowing them to align their personal development with that of the nation's.

In recent years, more Hong Kong education and research institutions have partnered with mainland counterparts in marine science.

In 2020, the University of Hong Kong and the Institute of Oceanology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the Joint Laboratory of Marine Ecology and Environmental Sciences. HKUST launched joint doctorate programs in marine environmental science with the Guangzhou and Zhuhai branch of the Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory and the University of Shenzhen.

Last month, Cheng, from HKUST, received a text message from another young marine scientist who was setting off on a trip to the South China Sea with colleagues. It was the researcher's maiden voyage, and she wanted some advice from Cheng.

Sending her a long list of tips for the trip, Cheng remembered her first such voyage, which increased her enthusiasm for marine science.

She has that monthlong trip to the South China Sea in May to thank for her personal growth and for the city's gains in marine science.