The University of Hong Kong (HKU) celebrated a major milestone in its innovation journey on 9 May 2026, with the “HKU School of Innovation Inaugural Celebration: A Dialogue with Future Innovators” held at Rayson Huang Theatre. The event commemorated the establishment of the HKU School of Innovation (I-School) and highlighted the transformative impact of its inaugural year, following the arrival of the first cohort of the Bachelor of Science in Innovation and Technology [BSc(I&T)] in September 2025.

Professor Chi Ming Che, Zhou Guangzhao Professor in Natural Sciences and Chair Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), and the Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Limited (LSCCB), and Dr Wei Liu, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, HKU, and LSCCB, have developed an innovative portable AI-enabled optical sensing device that enables rapid, non-invasive cancer risk detection using just a saliva sample. This innovative technology integrates advanced chemical sensing with artificial intelligence and was awarded a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (2026), recognising its scientific excellence and strong potential for practical application.   

A new study published in Research describes a deep-learning system designed to assist lumbar spine MRI at the point of image acquisition rather than only after scanning. The system, named Lumbar VNet Pro (LVP), was embedded directly into the MRI workflow and evaluated in a multicenter clinical setting. According to the study, the platform supports automated anatomical localization, scan-plane optimization, and real-time structural analysis during MRI scanning, offering a possible route toward more standardized and intelligent imaging workflows.

UC San Diego engineers have designed a new kind of satellite ground station that replaces bulky dishes with coordinated small antenna panels. The approach could move more data while making ground stations cheaper and easier to deploy.

Nadim Hmeidat and Amber Hubbard, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, have been honored with the 2026 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, recognizing their contributions to advanced manufacturing research and engineering innovation.

Made from non-toxic plant-based material, the devices can also monitor biomarkers, diseases, and nutrient levels in plants.

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, today named Monika Henzinger of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) as the 2026-2027 ACM Athena Lecturer. Henzinger is recognized for outstanding contributions to the fields of dynamic graph algorithms and web algorithms, and for dedicated mentoring and service to these communities.