EdUHK Wins Nine Awards at Silicon Valley International Invention Festival 2025
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) has received significant recognition at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF) held in the United States, winning a total of nine awards. The honours were two Special Prizes – the WIPO National Award for Inventors and the Prize of the China Association of Inventions – as well as four Gold and three Silver Medals.
The SVIIF took place from 8 to 10 August, in California. The first award-winning project, titled ‘Novel Biomaterials Used for Dendritic Cell Vaccine for Cancer Immunotherapy’, was led by Professor Ken Yung Kin-lam, Chair Professor of Biology and Neuroscience at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES). This project received the WIPO National Award for Inventors. The second project, ‘Nanopore Sensing for Rapid Screening Epigenetic Disruptors in Food, Healthcare Products, Consumer Goods and Environmental Matrices’, was led by Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun, Advisor (Environmental Science) at SES. This project was awarded the Prize of the China Association of Inventions. Both projects also received separate Gold Medals.
Additionally, two other Gold Medals were awarded to Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho of the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology, for ‘Automatic Multi-modal Deep Learning Analysis System’ and to Dr Michael Yeung Kin-chung, Assistant Professor at the Department of Psychology, for his project ‘A Hybrid EEG-fNIRS Neurofeedback Application for Brain Training for Autistic Children’.
The three Silver Medal-winning projects were from Dr Fu Hong, Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology, Dr Steve Mung Wai-yin, Assistant Professor at the Knowledge Transfer Sub-office, and Dr Fridolin Ting Sze-thou, Senior Lecturer, Office of Vice President (Research & Development). (For details, please refer to the table below.)
During the exposition, the Knowledge Transfer Sub-office introduced EdUHK’s latest research achievements to Mr Cheung Doi-ching, Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco, in areas including Artificial Intelligence, biomaterials, neuroscience, sports sciences and educational technologies. The EdUHK delegation also engaged with exhibitors from around the world and tech companies from Silicon Valley.
EdUHK Vice President (Research and Development) Professor Chetwyn Chan Che-hin, extended his sincere congratulations to the research teams. “These accolades reflect the University’s creativity and dedication, and highlight our unwavering commitment to fostering a vibrant culture of innovation and collaboration. We are immensely proud of this achievement and remain committed to advancing the future of innovation and knowledge transfer,” he said.
SVIIF, recognised as the largest innovation exposition in United States, provides global inventors a unique platform and opportunity to showcase their inventions and explore new avenues for marketing their ideas and products. This year, the event attracted 400 inventors from more than 25 countries and regions, with 250 projects underscoring its international appeal and significance.
List of EdUHK awarded projects:
| Project Name | Principal Investigator | Abstract | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novel Biomaterials Used for Dendritic Cell Vaccine for Cancer Immunotherapy | Professor Ken Yung Kin-lam, Chair Professor of Biology and Neuroscience at Department of Science and Environmental Studies | Traditional cancer treatments often rely on cytotoxic agents. The invention enhances dendritic cell maturation using silica nanomatrices, offering a safe & biocompatible approach to improve treatment efficiency, effectiveness and survival rates. | WIPO National Award for Inventors, Gold Medal |
| Nanopore Sensing for Rapid Screening Epigenetic Disruptors in Food, Healthcare Products, Consumer Goods and Environmental Matrices | Professor Rudolf Wu Shiu-sun, Advisor (Environmental Science) at Department of Science and Environmental Studies | A cost-effective technique was developed for rapid quantification of epigenetic changes associated with expression of genes related to reproduction, development and growth. Based on which, derived a quantitative index representing epigenetic risks posed by all chemicals in the sample. | Prize of the China Association of Inventions, Gold Medal |
| Automatic Multi-modal Deep Learning Analysis System | Professor Philip Yu Leung-ho, Professor at Department of Mathematics and Information Technology | Reliable datasets are crucial for AI training, but evaluating ground-truth descriptions is error-prone. The invention automates this, offering quality, domain-specific feedback that improves AI model performance, effectiveness and quality control. | Gold Medal |
| A Hybrid EEG-fNIRS Neurofeedback Application for Brain Training for Autistic Children | Dr Michael Yeung Kin-chung, Assistant Professor at Department of Psychology | A pioneering hybrid EEG-fNIRS system for multimodal neurofeedback training. It targets cognitive, emotional, and social functions in autism, using valid feedback stimuli, reward delivery, and progressive loading to maximise efficacy and engagement. | Gold Medal |
| Dynamic SyncAnUp: Eye-Body Coordination Capture for Elite Sports Performance | Dr Fu Hong, Associate Professor at Department of Mathematics and Information Technology | A unified system advances computer vision and synthesise contactless 3D joint tracking, AI and gaze clustering to offer personalised visual analysis, optimising athletic skills and training standards across sports. | Silver Medal |
| Integrated Nutrition Management System with Smart Panel and AI Platform for Sustainable Dietary Progress | Dr Steve Mung Wai-yin, Assistant Professor at the Knowledge Transfer Sub-office | A system combining a multi-sensing smart panel with an AI platform for personalised nutrition management through visual intelligence. It acts as an AI nutritionist to provide instant meal analysis and optimise meal plans to meet users’ dietary needs. | Silver Medal |
| YoChatGPT!: Unleashing the Power of Collaborative AI | Dr Fridolin Ting Sze-thou, Senior Lecturer, Office of Vice President (Research & Development) | YoChatGPT! is a context-aware collaborative virtual platform engaging multiple users with dynamic AI. It revolutionises advisory, business productivity and education through intelligent features, all within a secure environment. | Silver Medal |
-Ends-
