Huawei and City University of Hong Kong (CityU) will set up a Huawei Authorized Information and Network Academy (HAINA) at CityU to offer training on cloud computing, networking and telecommunications.

CityU is Huawei’s first partnering university in Hong Kong. The two collaborators will promote information and communications technology (ICT) education in Hong Kong and support the city’s development as a hub for ICT in the region.

Professor Arthur Ellis, Provost of CityU and Mr KT Wong, Chief Operating Officer, Huawei Hong Kong Representative Office, officiated at an agreement signing ceremony held at CityU. The agreement demonstrates CityU’s commitment to strengthening partnerships in industry in order to provide more opportunities for enriching teaching and learning, which is a priority in the University’s Strategic Plan 2015–2020.

Equipped with the latest hardware and software, HAINA will be housed at the CityU campus and led by CityU faculty, with training and support from Huawei. The HAINA courses will enrich the learning experience under the Discovery-enriched Curriculum at CityU and provide a pathway for students to gain Huawei certification, which will enhance their job prospects.

Furthermore, HAINA programmes will help ICT students to fill the gap between theory and practice and master required skills. It is a good example of knowledge transfer that will develop students’ understanding of and interest in the ICT industry. It will also create pools of local ICT talent.

Under the partnership agreement, Huawei will also set up an ICT Lab to provide CityU faculty and students with opportunities for hands-on exploration of the latest cloud computing and networking technologies. In addition, Huawei will host CityU students at its research and manufacturing facilities in China each year under its Telecom Seeds for the Future programme.

Professor Hong Yan, Dean of College of Science and Engineering at CityU, said: “CityU is pleased to partner with Huawei, an international ICT leader, to help our students gain competitive skills that they can put to use to benefit society and the world. This partnership serves as testimony to CityU’s strength in ICT teaching and research as well.”

“Huawei is honoured to collaborate with CityU to equip students with up-to-date ICT knowledge and skills that will nurture the next generation of ICT leaders in Hong Kong. As an international ICT innovator, we are committed to sharing knowledge with our academic partners and creating opportunities for individuals, businesses and economies worldwide,” said Mr Tu Wenjie, President, Training & Certification Department, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei.

With an aim to support local ICT education around the world, Huawei has now extended its HAINA programme to 157 leading universities worldwide. The HAINA network now encompasses University of Sydney and University of Wollongong in Australia, the University of Alicante in Spain and the University of Engineering and Technology–Lahore in Pakistan, St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University "LETI" and ITMO University in Russia as well as CityU in Hong Kong and 144 academic institutions in mainland China.