HKUST Big Data Institute (BDI) was established based on the requirements from both industry and society, and the need to coordinate faculty’s research work and activities on Big Data and Data Science at HKUST. BDI strives to provide a strong and highly visible leadership role in Big Data and Data Science research in Hong Kong and the world by setting up well-known education programs, coordinating and developing cross-institutional and cross-departmental research projects in Big Data and Data Science. Meanwhile, BDI proactively develops undergraduate and postgraduate teaching programs and engages in community outreach.
HKUST BDI is led by its Director and composed of affiliate faculty members from across departments that are working on Big Data related research. An internal Management Committee will assist the Director along with an external Advisory Committee. A Central Facility will be established within the Institute to functionally integrate space, major equipment and personnel resources.
The BDI is a multiple-center based institute. Each center has its own strategic area and has external support from the industry as well as the government. The planned centers include smart city, business intelligence, health and well-being, biological, genetics and robotics.
The BDI aims to provide a strong leadership role in Big Data research in Hong Kong with the following missions:
- It engages in emerging Big Data cross-disciplinary research that will have a long-term, transformative effect on Hong Kong and nation's Big Data applications;
- It develops technologies, policies, and educational programs that have the potential for offering high-impact solutions to pressing near-term Big Data related issues;
- It focuses on developing a Big Data platform to transfer technology developed for Big Data extraction, integration, management, mining and visualization to real products.