“Alpha Innovation Contest is of a very High Standard!”
– Interview Professor Wei Wang, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (China) of Edith Cowan University (ECU)
The registration for Alpha Innovation Contest 2019 has now commenced. Have you any new entrepreneurial ideas for 2019? What projects have market prospects and considerable profit potential? Listen to the professors from the universities and our mentors who can give you some sound advice to commercialize your innovative ideas.
Introducing our Mentors
Professor Wei Wang commenced his role as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (China) of Edith Cowan University since 2017.
Prior to joining ECU, Professor Wang was Vice Director-Research of Peking University-Hong Kong University of Sciences & Technology Medical Centre in Shenzhen, Vice Dean of School of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dean of School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China and Professor of Public Health, Edith Cowan University, Australia.
He has published over 100 scientific papers in prestigious journals including Science, Nature Genetics and The Lancet.
Professor Wang is a member of the expert panel advising the WHO on ‘Grand Challenges in Genomics for Public Health in Developing Countries’. He is also a steering committee member of the OECD initiative on Public Health Genomics.
Professor Wang is the chief editor of the journal of Family Medicine and Community Health (Compuscript Ltd), associate editor of EPMA Journal (Springer), and regional editor of Journal of Global Health (Edinburgh University Press), OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc) and Journal of Human Hypertension (Nature Publishing Group).
Professor Wang holds the degrees of Doctor of Medicine from China Medical University and Doctor of Philosophy from Oita Medical University, Japan. In 2005 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and in 2016 as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology.
In 2017 Professor Wang was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine of United Kingdom.
Professor Wei Wang (left) spoke at the Alpha Innovation Contest 2018, on the right is Dr. Tim Song, President of Alpha Incubation Group.
Interview with Professor Wang
LF (Interviewer): Professor Wang, as the Chairman of the Judging Panel of the Alpha Innovation Contest 2018, what is your impression of the whole event?
Wang (Professor): I think (Alpha Innovation Contest) this event went very well. I use one sentence to outline it, “It is of a very High Standard”! Every scholar and every contestant was of certain academic level, they had Innovative thinking, some ground-based and some feasible, and can have specific applications, of which I am very impressed. Each contestant was very well prepared, from the basic science, to the transformation of applied science, from engineering to e-commerce, etc., I think it was all done well.
LF: Now we are preparing for the Alpha Innovation Contest 2019. You are again invited to be the Chairman of the Judging Panel. What are your expectations for this year’s competition?
Wang: First of all, I am very honored. Thank you for the invitation. I am also very proud to have the opportunity to participate in this kind of activity again. I think this year will bring a new level building on our experience of last year. If we can refine the whole competition this year, for example, we can divide the applications into two blocks, an academic section and a practically applied section. In this way, some of the processes that we have promoted and nurtured can be directly applied.
Some good research projects will provide the driving force for future transformation, so that we will give some help from the source of inheriting scientific research and innovation, and have some help for the young entrepreneurs, as well as direct application, turning knowledge into productivity. A better platform for everyone, this is my hope.
LF: Recently, the Greater Bay Area (Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Dawan District) was established as a high tech venture capital zone. In your opinion, will this generate opportunities for young entrepreneurs?
Wang: I think this is a very special opportunity for these young people in Western Australia. We are in the same time zone as Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. First，let us look at Japan, the innovation zone in Japan summarizes some of the major technological transformations in Tokyo. Look at New York, the entire planning-based technical research, and the entire development zone of New York itself is based on finance and listing. Take a look at Silicon Valley, the chip and IT, etc., the basic industry, to provide power for the transformation. I think this Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Greater Bay Area is far more interesting, from the geographical location to an entire technology platform that outlines the functions of all of these other functional areas, from business to finance, from a whole conversion, from chips to electronics and so on. Especially Hong Kong, for example, it is a financial port, development zone, I think if this can be done in a development zone, all the things can be included, plus we have the advantage of language as well. From Australia, if we can take the advantage of this region, If we can participate in it, bridge Mainland China with Australia in terms of institutional innovation, tax innovation, etc. if everyone has their own expertise, I think there will be great potential products.
LF: As a professor of the University and pro-vice Chancellor of ECU, what are the specific practices in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship? Are there courses to encourage the students to innovate?
Wang: As a university, it is for training young people, to provide the society with talented graduates. This is one of our most important functions. As far as I know, our School of Business and Law, has some entrepreneurship training courses designed for students. Students can participate in the whole business transformation while at the university. Some other schools and research institutes are cooperating with our International department helping our students of both local and international with entrepreneurial courses, for example, the industry-oriented courses, that is called Industry Linkage Project, while at the university, the students can have specific links with enterprises, industry, and other business partners. From the basic knowledge, the students learn professional knowledge, local students mixed with international students, not only studying in the classroom, but also participate in social events. Last year, a PhD student I am supervising participated in Alpha Innovation Contest and won the best presentation award. I feel very proud. It is an exercise for him now and good for his future development. I hope more student participate in the Alpha Innovation Contest, using this platform to present their knowledge and learn from others. I hope Alpha Incubation is doing better.
LF: Please use one sentence to motivate young entrepreneurs and our contestants
Wang: I want to say incubation is nurturing, Alpha is number one! I hope everyone will try to be Number One! All innovative young people, should have your own ambitions, so I hope that everyone can succeed, but everyone must remember, if the foundation is not strong, the ground will be shaking. When you are young, there are plenty of opportunities. But you must have a solid foundation. I hope that everyone can use their wisdom and talents to fully demonstrate themselves and stand out in this Contest.