In addition, at the beginning of the new year, the Hong Kong University Grants Committee invited global academic experts to rate the research projects of thousands of scholars from Hong Kong's eight universities for the first time using a "star rating system." The rating report shows that the relatively young Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, with only over 20 years of history, surpassed the century-old University of Hong Kong to rank first. Seventy percent of the research projects at the University of Science and Technology received three to four stars, while only 51% of the University of Hong Kong met this standard.
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology was established in 1991 and is located in Sai Kung, Clearwater Bay. It is a public university with strengths in business and engineering, also admitting students from the mainland, with a quota of 150 students in 2014. Education professionals in Hong Kong point out that the secret to the University of Science and Technology's dominance is its emphasis on academics. Zhang Minbing, chairman of the Hong Kong Education Policy Concern Group, believes that the University of Science and Technology seeks to hire international-level researchers and strongly encourages research, so its excellent performance in the ratings is not surprising. He implied that "teaching staff should engage in research and guide students academically, rather than encouraging them to participate in protests or political activities."
Regarding the politicization of campus life, Vice President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Huang Yushan, stated to the Hong Kong media: "If Hong Kong society continues to develop in this way, there will be significant problems. Many people cannot view Hong Kong's current situation correctly and politicize many issues, which will affect Hong Kong's future."