Overseas Bases and Global Network

This article belongs to the "Internationalisation" module (09) of the HKU Unofficial History & Information Archive. It focuses on HKU's bases outside its main campus (overseas and mainland China offices, centres, innovation hubs) and the administrative architecture that coordinates its international affairs. Information current as of June 2026; establishment dates and addresses are based on official primary sources wherever possible. One official aggregator page (global.hku.hk/footprints) was unreachable at the time of capture; entries reliant on that page have been cross-reconstructed from other independent official pages, as noted.

HKU's "global network" comprises two parts: (1) the administrative bodies at its main campus that coordinate international and mainland China affairs (the Mainland Affairs Office, the International Affairs Office, and the Academic Liaison Office); and (2) physical bases distributed across mainland China and overseas (centres, innovation hubs, and offices). This article follows that division. The three Shenzhen entities (the hospital, the research institute, and the Business School Shenzhen campus) and the proposed Shenzhen campus are covered separately in greater-bay-area-and-national-role.md; the global partnership network is covered in global-partnerships.md.

# 1. Administrative Bodies Coordinating International and Mainland Affairs

# 1.1 The Academic Liaison Office (ALO) and its Sub-units

According to the official website of HKU's Academic Liaison Office (ALO)^※, the ALO oversees the International Affairs Office and Mainland Affairs Office, the Summer Institute, the Visitor Centre, the Campus Store, and other units. The International Affairs and Mainland Affairs Offices are located on the 9th floor of the Knowles Building on HKU's main campus.

# 1.2 Mainland Affairs Office (MAO)

According to the official website of HKU's Mainland Affairs Office (MAO)^※, the MAO was established in 2002 to promote academic exchange between HKU and universities and educational institutions in mainland China. Its primary functions include: establishing collaborative relationships with mainland universities and educational institutions; providing information on mainland affairs and facilitating cross-border exchange; building research networks between HKU and mainland institutions; and showcasing HKU's strengths to enhance its global standing.

# 1.3 International Affairs Office and the Global Lounge

The International Affairs Office coordinates student exchanges, the reception of inbound exchange students, and internationalisation activities. According to HKU's Global Lounge website^※, the Global Lounge describes itself as "A Place Where the World Meets." Located on the ground floor of the Fong Shu Chuen Amenities Centre on the main campus, it functions as a hub for interaction between local and international students.

# 2. Mainland China Offices and Centres

The following entries on mainland bases are drawn from a cross-check of official summary sources and each base's own official pages. Where specific building addresses are cited, they are based on official disclosures and local primary sources.

# 2.1 HKU Beijing Centre

Based on public information, the HKU Beijing Centre is located in Beijing's Yucheng Building. It functions primarily as a teaching venue for the HKU Business School, offering facilities for academic programmes, alumni start-up incubation, and alumni activities. Its stated role is a lifelong learning platform that strengthens academic exchange and cooperation between mainland China and Hong Kong, nurtures talent, and provides international education services.

# 2.2 Shenzhen Bases (Covered Elsewhere)

HKU has three principal physical entities in Shenzhen—HKU-Shenzhen Hospital (2012), the HKU-Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (HKU-SIRI, 2011), and the HKU Business School Shenzhen Campus (Futian)—as well as the proposed "HKU (Shenzhen)" comprehensive campus (Nanshan, 2021 MOU). The establishment timeline, scale, and accreditation status of these bases are detailed in greater-bay-area-and-national-role.md and are not duplicated here.

⚠ Primary source unreachable / no supplementary data found: HKU's official "HKU Around the World / Footprints" aggregator page (global.hku.hk/footprints) was unreachable during multiple rounds of capture for this archive. We are therefore unable to verify the individual addresses of other mainland offices, such as one in Shanghai's Hongkou District, from a single official primary source. This page records only those entities that can be cross-confirmed from independent official pages (the Beijing Centre and the three Shenzhen entities). The remaining entries will be added once the official aggregator page is restored; third-hand information will not be used to extrapolate addresses.

# 2.3 The Shanghai Cluster: 2026 "Four-Base" Layout (Supplementary Entry)

According to an official HKU press release from February 2026^※, the University held the "HKU@Shanghai" series of events from 28 February to 1 March 2026 to celebrate its 115th anniversary, during which it formally announced four strategic bases in Shanghai:

• HKU Shanghai Headquarters (Bund 22): Housed in a century-old historic building on the Bund, this site is positioned as a hub for HKU's global alumni network, acting as a collaborative platform connecting scholars, students, and entrepreneurs in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
• HKU Zhangjiang Hub: Located in Shanghai's Zhangjiang Science City, this hub extends the reach of HKU's School of Computing and Data Science from Hong Kong to Shanghai and houses interdisciplinary research institutes for areas such as intelligent computing and future electronics and materials manufacturing.
• HKU Caohejing Hub: Situated in the Shanghai Caohejing Hi-Tech Park, this hub focuses on frontier interdisciplinary research, with a mission to drive the industrialisation and commercial translation of research achievements and to attract research talent.
• Bund SOHO Hub: Managed by the HKU Business School and adjacent to the Shanghai Headquarters, this hub is positioned as an international platform for research, innovation, and business collaboration, specialising in fintech, digital intelligence, and start-up incubation.

According to the press release, the stated overarching goal of this "four-base" layout is to enable HKU to embed itself deeply within the national development agenda while retaining its identity as an international academic institution, advancing technology, education, and talent cultivation. This rhetorical framing closely echoes the logic behind HKU's Greater Bay Area layout (the three Shenzhen entities; see greater-bay-area-and-national-role.md), forming the latest link in the University's recent tri-level mainland network: "Hong Kong base – Greater Bay Area footholds – Yangtze River Delta footholds."

# 3. Overseas Innovation Hub

# HKU–Tel Aviv Innovation Hub (HKU-TLV Innovation Hub)

According to a news item from the HKU Business School^※ and the official HKU-TLV website^※, the HKU–Tel Aviv Innovation Hub was officially launched on 1 August 2022 in Tel Aviv, Israel, at 2 Weizmann St. Conceived as an "arm" of the HKU Business School extending globally, the hub aims to deepen collaboration between the academic, business, and technology communities of Israel and the Greater China/Hong Kong region by facilitating cross-border cooperation. It runs immersive innovation programmes lasting from three days to several weeks, targeting business executives and senior students.

# 4. International Research Collaborations (Overview)

According to HKU's "International and Mainland Collaboration" page^※, the University's international research collaborations with overseas institutions encompass collaborative research projects, visiting professorships, and joint doctorate programmes. Specific joint laboratories, international research centres, and projects change annually. The mechanisms and partnership networks are detailed in global-partnerships.md; this archive does not enumerate them individually to avoid discrepancies with official disclosures for the current year.

The editorial stance of this article: The existence, establishment date, address, and stated function of a base or office are traceable institutional facts. The specific list of "international research collaboration" projects, however, changes year by year and falls under the purview of individual faculties and research divisions. This article therefore provides only an overview; readers should consult HKU's official current-year disclosures for details.

# 5. Cross-References

• Global partnership networks and international alliances → global-partnerships.md
• Student exchanges, dual degrees, and summer study programmes → exchange-and-joint-programs.md
• Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen Campus, and proposed comprehensive campus → greater-bay-area-and-national-role.md