The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has earned funding support for four high-impact research projects in the third round of the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme, administered by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government. Spanning areas from advanced manufacturing to artificial intelligence (AI), these projects demonstrate significant potential for industry impact—a testament to the University's research excellence and translation.
Prof. Christopher CHAO, Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation) at PolyU, congratulated the PolyU research teams and remarked: "We are grateful for the funding support from the HKSAR Government through the RAISe+ Scheme, which empowers our researchers to pursue world-leading research and innovation for societal benefits. From smart manufacturing and quantum technology to fintech and digital transformation of legal services, these high-commercialisation-potential projects will support Hong Kong's development as an international innovation and technology hub, as well as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region. Looking ahead, the University will remain committed to translating its research outcomes into real-world applications through industry-academia-research collaboration, making significant contributions to Hong Kong, our Nation and the world."
Details of the projects are listed below:
| Project Title |
Project Leader |
Project Description |
| Forging with Clarity: Intelligent In-Situ Laser Melt Pool Monitoring Technology |
Prof. H.C. MAN Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Cheng Yick-chi Chair Professor in Manufacturing Engineering and Chair Professor of Materials Engineering |
IntraSpect™ is redefining precision manufacturing with its 3rd-generation intelligent in-situ melt pool control technology. By integrating advanced high-frequency optical tomography with a multi-modal AI engine, the team has developed an "industrial eye" capable of penetrating metal vapour to deliver micron-level 3D real-time monitoring and closed-loop control, effectively eliminating hidden defects such as porosity. This solution matches the performance of top-tier international competitors at half the cost, offering a rapid ROI of less than one year. Closely aligned with the "15th Five-Year Plan" and "China Intelligent Manufacturing 2030", IntraSpect™ empowers the EV battery and electronics sectors to transition from passive defect detection to proactive quality prevention. |
| WiseLaw: Next Generation Agentic AI for Legal Services |
Prof. LU Haitian Hong Kong Sustaintech Foundation Professor |
WiseLaw Digital Technology Co., Ltd is Hong Kong's first technology enterprise specialising in AI applications for cross-border legal and compliance services. Incubated by PolyU, WiseLaw brings together PolyU alumni and technical experts from leading internet companies in Chinese Mainland. WiseLaw deeply integrates AI with professional legal and compliance expertise, driving the intelligent transformation of legal services and corporate compliance management. As WiseLaw's core product, "Lawrence" is an AI Digital Employee designed to empower corporations, financial institutions and law firms. Distinct from conventional software tools, Lawrence is built to "work like an employee". It provides continuous support across cross-border business scenarios, including legal research, compliance review, contract analysis, risk identification, knowledge management and workflow coordination. Leveraging world-leading LLM capabilities and professional knowledge, further enhanced by WiseLaw's proprietary Harness Engineering and Agentic Memory solutions, Lawrence enables users to improve operational efficiency, reduce compliance costs and mitigate legal risks. It provides enterprises with a more sophisticated and efficient framework for navigating global expansion and international operations. |
| ShieldTrade: Multi-layer Defense System for Secure Web3 Transactions |
Prof. Allen AU Man-Ho Associate Head (Research and Development) and Professor of the Department of Computing |
The project aims to develop ShieldTrade, a next-generation Web3 security system that prevents users from transacting with blacklisted or sanctioned addresses, malicious or deceptive smart contracts, and phishing or fraudulent applications that attempt to obtain unauthorised token approvals or asset transfers. ShieldTrade provides end-to-end security protection for Web3 users by detecting risky transactions before execution and blocking malicious activities in real time. It analyses wallet interactions, smart-contract behaviours and transaction patterns to identify blacklisted or sanctioned addresses, malicious or deceptive contracts, and phishing or fraudulent "dApps" designed to steal assets or token approvals. Through advanced binary analysis, fuzzing and symbolic execution, ShieldTrade delivers proactive defence against emerging Web3 threats and ensures safer participation in decentralised ecosystems. |
| New Generation of Miniature Quantum Chip with Embedded System for Cybersecurity |
Prof. LIU Ai-Qun Director of the Research Institute for Quantum Technology, Chair Professor of Quantum Engineering and Science of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Hong Kong Global STEM Scholar |
In today's information-driven era, safeguarding data has become an exceptionally critical concern. Traditional encryption methods may prove highly vulnerable in the face of potential quantum computing attacks in the near future, underscoring the need to develop new technological solutions with high security standards. The project aims to develop a new generation of miniature quantum chips with embedded systems that enable secure communication by integrating optical quantum components with classical electronics (ARM and FPGA) on a single chip, often using CMOS fabrication to reduce size and cost. These chip-scale devices support high-speed communication, while allowing easy integration into IoT devices, handheld devices, fibre-optic networks, data centres and other applications. |
