Croucher Foundation

Translational immunology: from discovery to clinical impact 20 - 24 July 2026 | University of Hong Kong Apply by 31 May 2026 Advance your research through this intensive summer course designed for early-career scientists across basic and clinical disciplines. Croucher Foundation invites applications for its 2026 summer course in translational immunology. Learn from world-renowned experts. If you are working in basic immunology, cancer, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, paediatrics, or related clinical fields, this course could be for you. 👉 Explore how immune dysregulation – whether deficient, excessive, or chronically inflamed – contributes to infections, cancer, autoimmune disease, and age-related conditions. 👉 Examine current advances in immunotherapy, immune-based diagnostics, and precision medicine, with a focus on connecting fundamental immune mechanisms with clinical application. 👉 Learn about the use of multi-omics technologies and patient data to support the development of more targeted diagnostics and therapeutics. Who should apply? The one-week course is for researchers in both basic science and clinical research who are interested in translating immune insights from the bench to the bedside. Course directors: • Philip Li, Clinical Associate Professor, HKUMed, University of Hong Kong • Professor Tak Wah Mak, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto; Centre of Oncology and Immunology, University of Hong Kong • Professor Chak Sing Lau, University of Hong Kong Course fee: HK$3,000, including accommodation Places are limited. Apply by 31 May 2026 Find full details and application information here. #Immunology #Immunotherapy #PrecisionMedicine #CancerResearch #ClinicalResearch #HKUMed #SummerSchool #Research #PhD

Registration opens for Croucher Advanced Study Institutes 2026 We’re excited to share that Croucher’s 2026 Advanced Study Institutes (ASIs) are now live. Run in partnership with universities in Hong Kong, each ASI is carefully curated by leading experts from Hong Kong and taught by world-leading scientists. The courses are designed for early career researchers who want to sharpen their knowledge and skills at the cutting edge of their field – alongside peers working on similar questions. If that sounds like you, it’s well worth a look. This year (with one course slipping into the start of 2027), there are five ASIs: Quantum technologies (25 – 27 May) – Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (30 May – 1 June) – Chinese University of Hong Kong Emerging photovoltaic technology (4 – 6 November) – City University of Hong Kong Mass transport in nanopores (7 – 9 January 2027) – Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Registration for the first two ASIs is already open. Applications for the following course are currently closed: Primordial Non-Gaussianities (16 – 18 June) – City University of Hong Kong For full details, visit the ASI page here. #QuantumTechnologies #Pharmacokinetics #NonGaussianity #Photovoltaics #Nanopores

Registration is open: Croucher Foundation 2026 Summer Courses (Hong Kong) For early-career researchers looking to deepen specialist skills and connect with peers across disciplines, the Croucher Foundation’s 2026 Summer Courses offer an intensive, focused week of learning. These highly specialised, week-long courses are organised by four universities in Hong Kong and run from 1 June to early August. Each programme combines: • High-level lectures • Interactive sessions and discussion • Opportunities to exchange research interests and build connections • Laboratory demonstrations / hands-on activities (where relevant) 2026 courses • Synchrotron radiation (1–5 June) – Hong Kong Polytechnic University • Emergent symmetry (15–19 June) – Chinese University of Hong Kong • Virus evolution and epidemiology (29 June–3 July) – University of Hong Kong • Cellular biology (6–10 July) – Chinese University of Hong Kong • Translational immunology (20–24 July) – University of Hong Kong • Vaccine hesitancy (3–7 August) – University of Hong Kong Places are limited. Details and application information are available here. If helpful, please share with interested colleagues/students. The following course is already fully subscribed: • Sports biomechanics (20–24 July) – Chinese University of Hong Kong • Algorithmic game theory (27–31 July) – City University of Hong Kong #ResearchTraining #EarlyCareerResearchers #SummerSchool #HongKong #SynchrotronRadiation #CellBiology #Immunology #Epidemiology #AlgorithmicGameTheory #Biomechanics #Vaccines

How biomechanics and AI are impacting clothing design Researchers at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University have developed a new anthropometric method that precisely measures soft tissue deformation during body movement, addressing a longstanding challenge in compression garment design. Led by Professor Joanne Yip, the team uses image recognition algorithms and an analytical model to quantify tissue response with remarkable accuracy. Read our interview with Professor Yip here: https://lnkd.in/gPPU-_gZ #CompressionGarments #BiomechanicalModelling #WearableTechnology

Making waves: when gravity bends light and time – and even itself Gravitational waves from colliding black holes can be bent and magnified by massive galaxies, creating multiple images of the same cosmic event. Dr Otto Hannuksela leads The Chinese University of Hong Kong's efforts to detect the first such "lensed" gravitational wave signal. This discovery, which Hannuksela hopes could occur within a decade, could pinpoint distant black hole mergers with unprecedented precision and open new windows into fundamental physics and cosmology. Read our interview with Hannuksela here: https://lnkd.in/grPv6jVQ #GravitationalWaves #GravitationalLensing #MultiMessengerAstronomy

Heavy lifting at the nanoscale: magnetic particles combat bacteria and pollutants Earlier this year, Hong Kong Baptist University announced the development of multifunctional nanorobots capable of degrading pollutants and eliminating bacteria with up to 99.99% efficacy. Croucher News caught up recently with Professor Ken Leung Cham-fai, who led the collaborative research. He explains how these magnetically steered particles work, why motion amplifies their killing power, and the challenges of translating laboratory success into real-world applications. Read the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/d4gNguyj #Nanotechnology #WaterTreatment #AntimicrobialResearch