The University recently received a generous donation of HK$250,000 from Mr. Abraham Chan, Honorary Vice-President of the HKBU Foundation and Chairman of PuraPharm Group of Companies, in support of the “2014 International Summit on Innovative Drug Discovery — Charting the Course of Standardisation of Chinese Materia Medica”. In recognition of the donor's generosity, a cheque presentation ceremony officiated by Mr. Abraham Chan and Professor Albert S.C. Chan, JP, President and Vice-Chancellor, was held on 17 June 2014. After the ceremony, Mr. Chan exchanged views with HKBU representatives at a lunch hosted by Professor Chan.

The HKBU representatives attending the ceremony included Professor Bian Zhao Xiang, Associate Vice-President and Director of the Clinical Division of the School of Chinese Medicine (SCM); Professor Lu Aiping, Dean of Chinese Medicine; Dr. Zhang Ge, Associate Director and Associate Professor of the Teaching Division of SCM; Dr. Simon Han, Assistant Professor of the Teaching Division of SCM; Mrs. Helen Tsang, Head of the Secretariat of SCM; and Mrs. Lily Chan, Director of University Advancement.

The School of Chinese Medicine is committed to pursuing innovative research for the development of Chinese medicine, the promotion of human health and the prevention of diseases. To fulfill this mission, the School has identified innovative drug discovery as one of its strategic focuses, and launched in 2012 the International Summit on Innovative Drug Discovery held in Hong Kong. By hosting the biennial Summit with different focuses on new drug discovery in Chinese medicine, the School aims at providing a regular and sustainable platform for exchange and sharing of latest research findings in the field so as to advance the drug discovery process.

The second Summit entitled “Charting the Course of Standardisation of Chinese Materia Medica” to be organised in November 2014 will focus on the standardisation of Chinese medicines, which serves as an important basis for new drug discovery.