In the latest development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Sun Yat-sen University unveiled its Institute of Advanced Studies Hong Kong in the Hong Kong Science Park in October.

The institute will focus on biological medicine, applied mathematics, and humanities and social sciences, with a plan to build world-leading labs and a goal of facilitating the research and application of leading-edge technologies.

The university also signed agreements in October with a number of universities in Hong Kong for cooperation in fields such as medical sciences, energy technology and biology.

Gao Song, president of Sun Yat-sen University, talks with Anne Ferguson-Smith, then pro-vice-chancellor for research of the University of Cambridge, in 2023. CHINA DAILY

The proximity to the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions is a geographical advantage for Sun Yat-sen University. Hong Kong is home to five of the world's top 100 universities and Sun Yat-sen University has close cooperation with universities there, said Gao Song, president of Sun Yat-sen University.

As one of the most open and economically dynamic regions of the country, the Greater Bay Area also enjoys the advantage of synergized policies, said Fu Zhengping, professor of the university's School of Business and dean of the Institute of Free Trade Zones.

The university will boost international exchanges and cooperation, continue to advance reforms, and foster a sound international environment to add new dynamics for turning the university into a world-class university with Chinese characteristics, Gao said.