HKUST recruits industry sponsors from Hong Kong and nearby Shenzhen. The 2011 sponsors include:
Beijing Genomics Institutes (BGI)
BGI, founded in 1999, is the world’s largest DNA sequencing center. In 2007, it relocated to Shenzhen as the first citizen-managed, non-profit research institution in China. BGI aims to develop research collaboration and provide scientific support to scientists all over the world, contribute to the advancement of innovative biology research, molecular breeding, healthcare and related fields. BGI’s accomplishments include sequencing 1% of the human genome for the International Human Genome Project, contributed 10% to the International Human HapMap Project, and decoding the genome of a strain of E coli that originated in Germany.
The Hong Kong Observatory is a government department responsible for forecasting weather and issuing warnings on weather-related hazards. The Observatory also monitors and assesses radiation levels in Hong Kong, and provides other meteorological and geophysical services to meet the needs of the public and the shipping, aviation, industrial and engineering sectors.
Headquartered in Shenzhen, China, Huawei is an employee-owned private company, with offices and research facilities in 100 nations spanning every continent. Huawei technology enriches people’s lives through communication. Huawei solutions have been deployed by 45 of the world’s top 50 telecomm operators, and this technology helps make communication possible for one-third of the world’s population.
MetLife, Inc. is a leading global provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, serving 90 million customers. Through its subsidiaries and affiliates, MetLife holds leading market positions in the United States, Japan, Latin America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.