Press Release

[16 December 2016, Hong Kong] Seeking to provide a platform for sharing and discussion on the latest development trends in display technology, Advances in Display Workshop 2016 took place today at Hong Kong Science Park. Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) organised the event jointly with State Key Laboratory on Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technologies (SKL), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP).

Increasing demand for sophisticated and high-quality display, along with innovation in new materials and device architecture, has accelerated the development of advanced display technology in recent years. Latest inventions in this area have been widely applied in entertainment, wearables, healthcare, and Vehicle-To-Everything technologies, among other fields. These technologies not only opened up new business opportunities for enterprises but also brought unique media experience to consumers.

In his opening remarks, Professor Kwok Hoi-sing, Chair Professor and Director of State Key Laboratory on Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technologies, Department of ECE, HKUST said, “Display technology is a very big business nowadays – everything is related to display.  The workshop today is an ideal opportunity for the industry and researchers to exchange ideas, insights and experiences on advanced display technologies.”

Mr Wong Ming-yam, Chairman of ASTRI Board of Directors, said in his remarks, “ASTRI is one of the largest R&D facilities in Hong Kong and Optoelectronics is one of our key development areas. We have devoted much resources in the R&D of advanced display technologies such as Intelligent Projection Platform focusing on the technologies of LCoS panel, holographic projection, and optical sensing and metrology. Looking ahead, ASTRI will continue exploring collaboration opportunities with the industry and academics to take advanced display technology to the next level.”

The workshop brought together prominent speakers from Hong Kong and the Mainland, Korea, Taiwan and the U.S., who shared their views and insights. For example, Professor Stephen Forrest from University of Michigan (USA) gave a presentation on the challenges ahead in revolutionising displays and lighting; Mr Xin Wang, who is the Engineering Director at Delphi (China) Technical Center Co., Ltd., talked about Augmented Reality (AR) Automotive Head-up-Display. Dr Xiuling Zhu, Project Manager, ASTRI, discussed the requirements of Liquid Crystal on Silicon Spatial Light Modulator (LCoS SLM) for automotive HUD application, and talked about LCoS SLM, developed by ASTRI, with fast response time and small pixel pitch delivering enhanced  full-colour and large screen viewing experience.

The event included a poster session where experts showcased their most recent research and development work, including Low Temperature Poly-SI (LTPS) Thin Film Transistors (TFTs), Oxide TFTs, high performance OLED, Nano Technology in Display, Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Displays (FLC), Photoalignment, Micro Display, etc.

With over 150 participants, the workshop was a full-house event. Dr Frank Tong Fuk-kay, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, expressed heart-felt thanks to SKL, HKUST and HKSTP for partnering with the institute in this workshop which was well received by scientists, students and businesses alike.

About ASTRI

Established in 2000 by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, ASTRI works to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. In 2006, the institute was designated the Hong Kong Research and Development Centre for Information and Communications Technologies by the Innovation and Technology Commission. In 2012, it received the approval from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology to establish the first Hong Kong Branch of National Engineering Research Centre. Since its inception, ASTRI has succeeded in creating economic impact by transferring new technologies to its customers in Hong Kong, the mainland and the region. Please visit www.astri.org to learn more about ASTRI.

Media enquiries:

Ms Cherry Au            Tel : (852) 3406 2993               Email : [email protected]

Professor Kwok Hoi-sing, Director of State Key Laboratory on Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technologies, Department of ECE, HKUST (5^th from left), Mr Wong Ming-yam, Chairman of ASTRI Board of Directors of ASTRI (6^th from left) and Dr Frank Tong. Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI (2^nd from right) take a group photo with distinguished speakers of Advances in Display Workshop

Dr Xiuling Zhu, Project Manager, ASTRI, shares with the audience the requirements of Liquid Crystal on Silicon Spatial Light Modulator for automotive HUD application

Participants of the workshop view the demonstration of ASTRI’s advanced display technology

Dr Jean-Pierre Talpin, Senior Scientist, French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation (Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique or INRIA) visited ASTRI on 9 December 2016. He met with Dr John Koo, Director, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and had an in-depth discussion on CPS for enabling the design of Smart Factory.

Founded in 1967, INRIA is France’s only established public science and technology institution that is fully committed to computational sciences. Combining computer sciences with mathematics, INRIA’s over 3,400 researchers strive to become inventors for the digital world.

ASTRI and INRIA formed an international partnership in 2015 on “Virtual Prototyping of Embedded Software Architectures” which will last for a period of four years on a renewable basis.

15 delegates from HSBC including Dr C K Chan, CIO, Asia-Pacific International & Head of Retail Banking & Wealth Management IT visited ASTRI on 12 December 2016. They viewed a number of FinTech demonstrations including Blockchain for trade finance, Chinese handwriting OCR, facial recognition, touch authentication, ASLIntel platform. The delegation also had an in-depth discussion on financial technologies with Dr Duncan Wong, Vice President, Financial Technologies and Dr Ryan Chung – Director CTO Office. They also visited Cyber Range Laboratory and HSBC-ASTRI Research and Development Innovation Laboratory and gave valuable feedback from users’ perspective.

Dr Liang Luhong, Principal Engineer of IC Design Digital of ASTRI, was invited as a guest speaker to attend the ‘Beijing Winter Technology Star Exchange Programme’ held from 9 to 10 December 2016. Dr Liang delivered a presentation to introduce ASTRI’s technology projects and the latest R&D developments. The programme was organised by the Talent Exchange Centre of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission. The selected candidates of Beijing Winter Technology Star Exchange Programme were invited to take part in the event.

ASTRI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Beijing Winter Technology Star Exchange Programme in November 2016. Under the MoU, both parties will strengthen collaborations in a number of areas including technology talent exchange and training, and promoting R&D.

Delegates from Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) visited ASTRI on 9 December 2016 and met Dr Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI. They viewed a number of technology demonstrations including facial recognition, behavioural biometrics authentication and Blockchain. The HKCS delegation also visited our Cyber Range Laboratory and had an in-depth discussion with ASTRI’s R&D experts.

A delegation led by Associate Professor Pang Kou-kun, Head of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the University of Macau visited ASTRI on 9 December 2016 and met Dr Ieong Meikei, Chief Technology Officer and Mr Dennis Lee, Director, Chief Technology Officer Office of ASTRI. They were briefed on ASTRI’s background, and viewed a number of technology demonstrations including big data analytics for smart city and smart traffic.

13 delegates from HSBC including Mr Daniel Chan, Head of Business Banking, Commercial Banking and Ms Anita Li, Head of Channels and Distribution visited ASTRI on 8 December 2016. They viewed a number of FinTech demonstrations including Blockchain for trade finance, Chinese handwriting OCR, face recognition, touch authentication and ASLIntel platform. The delegation also had an in-depth discussion on financial technologies with Dr Frank Tong – Chief Executive Officer and Dr Ryan Chung – Director CTO Office of ASTRI.   They also visited HSBC-ASTRI Research and Development Innovation Laboratory and shared valuable feedback from users’ perspective.

18 delegates from Health Sector Services of Electrical and Mechanical Services Department visited ASTRI on 7 December 2016 and met ASTRI’s R & D experts including Dr Wu Xiaohua, Director, Intelligent Software and Systems and Mr Vincent Wong, Senior Manager, Chief Technology Officer Office. They learnt about ASTRI’s background and its initiatives in health technologies.

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) recently organised a closed workshop on Regulation Technology (RegTech) and data privacy. Hosted in partnership between HKU’s Law and Technology Centre and Asian Institute of International Financial Law, and ASTRI, the workshop touched upon critical issues like regulations and legal frameworks amid the growing prevalence of financial technologies in a digital economy.

The financial industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom in digital banking and transactions. The challenge for the industry is to match the growth in FinTech with adequate application of RegTech, and to ensure data privacy and information security – especially when applying big data analytics and related technologies while dealing with sensitive financial data. The skillsets and expertise for RegTech and FinTech often don’t exist alongside each other. Hence, it is essential for technology developers like ASTRI – as well as the industry – to work closely with the legal community.

The workshop was primarily based on a panel discussion where eminent academics and experts discussed RegTech – how regulations and the financial laws take shape in the digital space. The panellists included local and international experts who brought with them many decades of experience in commercial law, financial regulations, banking and finance, intellectual property, data privacy, and technology.

Dr Duncan Wong, ASTRI Vice President for FinTech, presented an overview of the institute’s latest FinTech research developments as well as issues related to SecShare, smart contracts, crypto-currencies, Blockchain and data analytics.

From HKU, the panelists included Douglas Arner – Professor of Law; Janos Barberis – Research Fellow at the Asian Institute of International Financial Law; Dr Felix Chan – Associate Professor; Anne Cheung – Professor of Law; Dr Haochen Sun – Associate Professor; and Dr Marco Thompson – Assistant Professor.

ASTRI has had a long and close partnership with HKU for the purpose research and technological developments – the HKU-ASTRI joint lab was set up earlier this year to foster R&D efforts in smart cities, FinTech, and technology for healthcare.

[Hong Kong, 1 December 2016] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) announced today that it will work with Thailand’s central bank, the Bank of Thailand (BOT), on cybersecurity and developing financial technologies (FinTech) – to help enhance the efficiency and security of the country’s electronic transactions, as well as the resilience of its financial system against cyber-threats.

“Hong Kong is a global financial hub, and ranks fifth among FinTech hubs worldwide. We’ve chosen to collaborate with ASTRI, which is one of the leading institutions with a strong focus on research and development in the areas of cybersecurity and FinTech. These are vital to strengthening Thailand’s financial infrastructure and increasing the efficiency and security of our fast-growing electronic transactions,” said Mrs Ruchukorn Siriyodhin, Deputy Governor, Financial Institutions Stability​ of BOT.

Mr Wong Ming-yam, BBS, JP, Chairperson of the ASTRI Board of Directors, said “this partnership is a strategically important one due to the close relationship between the Thai people, and the people of Hong Kong and the mainland.” He added that Hong Kong and Thailand play crucial roles along the ‘One Belt, One Road’ given Hong Kong’s role as a “super-connector between China and the world and Thailand’s prominent position within the ASEAN region.”

“We’re honoured to have the opportunity to work with Thailand’s central bank. This collaboration is a recognition of ASTRI’s pioneering role in FinTech and cybersecurity research and application in Asia Pacific. It also opens up possibilities for ASTRI to cooperate with other ASEAN countries, which have a total population of 600 million and have vast potential for e-commerce. In the long run, we expect to see ASTRI form more cross-border technological partnerships,” said Dr Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Dr Tong and Mrs Ruchukorn at the Hong Kong Science Park today. Under the three-year collaboration deal, ASTRI and BOT will jointly carry out R&D projects covering blockchain technology, cybersecurity and big data analytics etc.

Both parties are expected to conduct programmes to cultivate local FinTech and cybersecurity experts. They will also explore the possibility of forming a cross-border cyber intelligence sharing platform – to enable financial institutes in Hong Kong and Thailand to share vital information to defend against cyber-threats. The collaboration will also bolster their cybersecurity and FinTech capabilities through talent exchange and training programmes.

As an economic, transport and cultural hub within ASEAN, Thailand has pledged to embrace technological innovation, and set out to transform the kingdom into a cashless society. Ahead of other ASEAN countries, it recently launched a national e-payment system ‘PromptPay’, which is expected to revolutionise the way people make payments in Thailand.

According to consultancy firm Accenture, FinTech investment in Asia-Pacific has skyrocketed from about US$880 million in 2014 to nearly US$3.5 billion in the first nine months of 2015.

About ASTRI

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research.  ASTRI’s core R&D competences in various areas are organised under seven Technology Divisions, namely Communications Technologies, Electronics Components, IC Design (Analog), IC Design (Digital), Opto-electronics, Security and Data Sciences, and Intelligent Software and Systems. Five areas of applications including financial technologies, intelligent manufacturing, next generation network, health technologies, and smart city are identified for major pursuit. For further information about ASTRI, please visit www.astri.org

About Bank of Thailand

THE BANK OF THAILAND (BOT), a central bank of Thailand operated under Bank of Thailand Act, promulgated on 28 April 1942. BOT started operations on 10 December 1942 with the mission to promoting a stable financial environment to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic development in Thailand. Our vision is to be an organization of vision and principles that engages with stakeholders in pursuit of Thailand’s sustainable economic well-being. For further information about BOT, please visit www.bot.or.th

Media enquiries:

Ms Eunice Cheng               Tel: (852) 3406 2517         Email: [email protected]

Dr Frank Tong, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI (right), and Mrs Ruchukorn Siriyodhin, Deputy Governor, Financial Institutions Stability​ of BOT (left), sign a Memorandum of Understanding on FinTech research and development.

Dr Duncan Wong (1^st from left), Vice President, Financial Technologies of ASTRI introduces ASTRI’s Multi-model Authentication Technologies to Mrs Ruchukorn Siriyodhin (3^rd from left), Deputy Governor, Financial Institutions Stability of BOT.

Mrs Ruchukorn Siriyodhin (1st from left), Deputy Governor, Financial Institutions Stability of BOT presents a souvenir to Mr Wong Ming-yam, Chairperson of the ASTRI (2nd from left).