CUHK receives HK$31.5 million from the RGC under Strategic Topics Grant 2025/26
Dr Jeremy Teoh Yuen-chun, Assistant Dean (External Affairs) and Associate Professor from the Division of Urology in the Department of Surgery at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)’s Faculty of Medicine (CU Medicine), has been awarded HK$31.5 million in funding in the recently announced Strategic Topics Grants (STG) 2025/26 from the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the University Grants Committee (UGC). The grant will fund a five-year multi-disciplinary international collaborative research project “Embracing Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Upper and Lower Urinary Tract Assessment in Primary Care and Nurse Clinic Settings”. The project aims to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model to enable healthcare professionals to conduct rapid, accurate point-of-care assessments of haematuria in simple clinic settings, improving the diagnostic pathway and reducing the workload of specialist urology outpatient clinics and public hospitals.
CUHK’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sham Mai-har said: “We are delighted that our research project has been awarded funding from the RGC’s Strategic Topics Grant, which will help strengthen CUHK’s leadership in medical innovation. We look forward to enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of diagnostics through the use of AI, further improving primary healthcare and benefiting society as a whole.”
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Dr Jeremy Teoh Yuen-chun, Assistant Dean (External Affairs) and Associate Professor from the Division of Urology in the Department of Surgery at CU Medicine
Dr Teoh, the project coordinator, said: “With the STG’s funding support, we are confident in developing a novel and advanced but easily adoptable technology that can provide point-of-care assessment for patients presenting with blood in urine. With such technology, we will be able to expedite the diagnostic pathway and enhance patient outcomes in a more efficient manner.”
Patients with haematuria typically require an ultrasound scan for the upper urinary tract and flexible cystoscopy for the lower urinary tract. Given the increasing demand for the management of haematuria patients, coupled with manpower shortages and prolonged waiting times for diagnosis, the project aims to develop an AI model with excellent diagnostic performance to enable ultrasound assessments of the upper urinary tract in primary care and nurse clinic settings. Additionally, a novel urinary catheter with a built-in camera, supplemented by an AI model for real-time cystoscopic assessment, will facilitate visualisation of the lower urinary tract in a simple clinic setting. A pilot study will implement these innovative technologies in primary care and nurse clinics. For more project information, please refer to website.
About the Strategic Topics Grant
The Strategic Topics Grant (STG) was set up to support collaborative research in specific areas that can help Hong Kong overcome imminent challenges and capture emerging opportunities. The maximum duration of a project is five years. The maximum sum awarded to each project by the RGC is $40 million, excluding on-costs. Participating universities are required to provide 10% matching funding.
