- Event
- Expressions Summer 2025
Pioneering Interdisciplinary Innovation
HKU Dentistry joins forces to co-found HKU School of Biomedical Engineering
School of Biomedical Engineering is established with joint support from the Faculty of Dentistry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Science.
HKU Dentistry has played a foundational role in establishing HKU’s new School of Biomedical Engineering (SBME), a cross-faculty initiative that unites dentistry, medicine, engineering, and science. This landmark collaboration—the first of its kind in Hong Kong—will enable the Faculty to implement interdisciplinary approaches in developing advanced dental technologies and driving improvements in oral healthcare delivery.
Officially launched on 19 March 2025, SBME marks a significant milestone in HKU’s strategic investment in interdisciplinary education and research. With joint support from the Faculty of Dentistry, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Science, the School is designed to rapidly evolve into a transformative hub for biomedical innovation. By leveraging HKU’s strengths across the four faculties, this unique partnership offers a powerful platform for translational research at the intersection of bioengineering and clinical practice, while nurturing globally minded talent to address emerging and complex healthcare needs.
At a press conference on 8 July 2025, Professor Michael Häusser, Interim SBME Director, highlighted the School’s pioneering educational programme starting in the 2025–26 academic year, which includes the flagship Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering and a suite of related undergraduate and postgraduate courses: “The founding of SBME strengthens HKU’s commitment to advancing healthcare technology and innovation. Our programme is designed to empower students and researchers to transform healthcare by integrating technology, artificial intelligence, engineering, life sciences, and clinical translation.”
The School’s collaborative mission is to tackle pressing health challenges through interdisciplinary research and technological innovation. By harnessing the collective expertise and capabilities of its partner faculties, SBME is poised to redefine the future of healthcare and position HKU as a global leader in biomedical engineering.
By bringing together diverse perspectives, specialist knowledge, and insights from across multiple disciplines, SBME aims to drive breakthroughs that will shape the future of medicine and dentistry. The joint venture promises to open up new horizons for research, education, knowledge exchange, and clinical translation, fostering innovations that will inspire the next generation of dental and medical professionals, as well as future leaders in dental and medical technology.
For the Faculty of Dentistry, SBME represents an unprecedented opportunity to collaborate on cutting-edge research that bridges oral health sciences with engineering and biotechnology. This synergy is expected to catalyse new discoveries and developments in dental sciences and oral healthcare such as advanced dental materials, digital diagnostics, smart treatment planning, and artificial intelligence–driven therapeutics, ultimately delivering tangible benefits to patients, practitioners, and the broader healthcare community.
As then-Acting Dean of Dentistry, Professor Lijian Jin, noted at the press conference, the School’s collaborative mission is to tackle pressing health challenges through interdisciplinary research and technological innovation. By harnessing the collective expertise and capabilities of its partner faculties, SBME is poised to redefine the future of healthcare and position HKU as a global leader in biomedical engineering.
Professor Lijian Jin notes the School’s collaborative mission is to tackle pressing health challenges through interdisciplinary research and technological innovation.