Gammon Construction Limited (Gammon) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology School of Engineering (HKUST Engineering) today (25 August) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration between industry, academia and research sectors. The partnership reflects a shared vision to accelerate construction innovation, nurture engineering talent, and translate pioneering research into practical solutions that support the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of Hong Kong’s construction industry.

Building on an established relationship, the partnership will further create new opportunities for students while strengthening collaboration on research with real-world industry applications. Through the initiative, the two parties will identify internship and graduate employment opportunities, provide practical project topics for final-year and capstone projects, and facilitate closer engagement between students, researchers and industry practitioners.

Gammon and HKUST Engineering are already collaborating closely on providing job opportunities to their graduates, and testing grounds for several advanced research initiatives, including biobased materials applications, smart monitoring for nature-based solutions, digitalised embodied carbon management, AI-enabled climate risk assessment and energy-conservating geostructures.

At the signing ceremony, Kevin O’Brien, Chief Executive, Gammon, said, “Gammon has a long history of working with universities to nurture talent and advance innovation across the industry. What makes this partnership particularly exciting is that, by bringing together HKUST’s cutting-edge research capabilities and Gammon’s project delivery expertise, we can create a powerful platform for innovation – one that not only develops the next generation of engineering talent, but also accelerates the translation of breakthrough ideas into practical solution for the built environment.”

Prof. Hong K. Lo, Dean of Engineering, HKUST, said, “This partnership offers tremendous value for both our students and researchers. Students will gain invaluable exposure to real-world engineering challenges, enabling them to develop and adapt the skills needed for future careers. At the same time, our researchers will have opportunities to work closely with industry practitioners, access real project environments and data, and validate innovative ideas in practical settings. We are confident this partnership will create mutual beneficial ecosystem that advances knowledge, develops talent and delivers meaningful impact for Hong Kong’s construction sector.”

Gammon Construction has long been an active partner at HKUST, with regular participation in career fairs, campus engagement activities and industry sharing sessions. Over the past three years, Gammon has hired more than 60 HKUST Engineering graduates as assistant engineers and around 15 interns as trainees, while more than 100 HKUST Engineering alumni are currently building their careers across the company.

The collaboration is further strengthened through Gammon’s support for HKUST’s AI Supercomputing Center project. By access to the construction site as living laboratories for research and testing, Gammon has enabled the deployment of distributed fibre optic sensing technology for structural monitoring, the collection of data for blockchain-enabled carbon information management system, as well as the development of “HeatSense”, an Intelligent Campus Heat Resilience Monitoring and Response Platform, for microclimate data monitoring and analysis. These initiatives demonstrate how academia and industry can work together to advance innovation and address emerging sustainability and climate challenges facing the construction industry.