HKUST says medical school preparations enter new phase after complex topped out
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology said preparations for the city's third medical school had entered a new phase, with its Medical Education and Research Complex topped out. The university expects to admit its first cohort of around 50 students in the 2028/29 academic year.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said preparations for the city's third medical school had entered a new phase, with progress made in infrastructure, curriculum development and faculty recruitment.
HKUST President Nancy Ip said work had advanced steadily since the university received government approval last November to establish the new medical school. The university's Medical Education and Research Complex was topped out last week, marking another milestone in the project.
HKUST said detailed planning was now under way for teaching spaces, research facilities and simulation training centres following completion of the main structural works. The complex, which will serve as the School of Medicine's principal teaching and research base during its initial phase, is expected to provide facilities for medical education, clinical skills training and research.
Ip said the university would continue recruiting leading clinical, academic and research talent from around the world as preparations move forward. King Li, HKUST's Founding Dean of Medicine, said faculty recruitment had made encouraging progress, with the university attracting clinical, academic and research specialists internationally.
Li said the curriculum and academic structure were also largely in place, drawing on HKUST's strengths in science, artificial intelligence, data science and other emerging technologies. The university remains confident of admitting its first cohort of around 50 students in the 2028/29 academic year. The planned programme will be a four-year graduate-entry Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree.
Li said construction of the Medical Education and Research Complex was progressing at full speed and would provide advanced facilities of international standards once completed. The government approved HKUST's proposal to establish Hong Kong's third medical school in November 2025.
