Free Public Lectures on STEAM Education and Greater Bay Area Innovations This Fall

Research Grants Council to present public lecture on "The Greater Bay Area Matters: Medical Services and Technology Entrepreneurship"

The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:

In line with the Government's initiative to further strengthen the promotion of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) education in primary and secondary schools, and to take further steps to identify and nurture local STEAM elites, the Research Grants Council (RGC) will organise a series of public lectures from October to November, covering topics including the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the economy, health, technology and innovation. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis. All are welcome.

The final lecture titled "The Greater Bay Area Matters: Medical Services and Technology Entrepreneurship" will be held on November 9 (Saturday). The lecture will be conducted in Cantonese. Details are as follows:

Time: 10.30am to 12.30pm

Venue: Lecture Theatre, G/F, Hong Kong Central Library

Members of the public may also watch a live broadcast of the lecture through the YouTube channel of the Hong Kong Public Libraries (www.youtube.com/channel/UCJUipdvSACZjO1ldoO3YQBA).

In the first session, "Cross-border Healthcare Utilization and Cross-border Mobility in the Greater Bay Area: Barriers and Opportunities", Lady Edith Kotewall Professor in the Built Environment, the Head of the Department of Urban Planning and Design, and the Executive Deputy Director of the Urban Systems Institute of the University of Hong Kong, Professor He Shenjing, will present a detailed analysis of the major barriers and opportunities of cross-border healthcare utilisation.

In the second session, "Deep-Tech Venturing and 'Learning-by-Building' in Greater Bay Area", Associate Professor of the Department of Management of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Professor Kevin Au will introduce deep-tech ventures, and discuss how "learning-by-building" influences these ventures on their growth path and future innovativeness of the Greater Bay Area.

The RGC has been regularly organising public lectures since 2009, featuring various distinguished scholars as speakers. These lectures aim to promote research knowledge of Hong Kong's tertiary institutions and raise public awareness of the significance and values of local research work.

For enquiries, please call 2524 3987 or visit the University Grants Committee webpage (www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/about/events/lectures/lectures.html). In addition, members of the public can register for the RGC's email subscription service atwww.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/about/subscribeto receive regular updates.

Approved Tuen Mun Outline Zoning Plan amended

The Town Planning Board today (November 1) announced amendments to the approved Tuen Mun Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

The amendments mainly involve (i) rezoning a site to the northwest of Light Rail Transit Goodview Garden Station from "Government, Institution or Community" ("G/IC") to "Residential (Group A)29" ("R(A)29"); (ii) rezoning a site being part of the residential development 'Oceania Heights' from "G/IC" to "R(A)"; (iii) rezoning a site to the east of Tuen Mun Town Plaza from "Green Belt" ("GB") and an area shown as 'Road' to "R(A)30"; and (iv) rezoning a site to the west of Hing Fu Street from "GB" to "G/IC(5)".

The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP are amended to take into account the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zones and the planning scheme area, where appropriate.

The draft Tuen Mun OZP No. S/TM/40, incorporating the amendments, is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Tuen Mun and Yuen Long West District Planning Office, (iv) the Tuen Mun District Office, and (v) the Tuen Mun Rural Committee.

Any person may make written representations in respect of the amendments to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before January 2, 2025. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29C on "Submission and Processing of Representations and Further Representations" (TPB PG-No. 29C).

Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29C. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29C, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and

* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

The Guidelines and the submission form are available at the above locations (i) and (ii) and the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

Copies of the draft Tuen Mun OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board's website (www.tpb.gov.hk).