Thales Group Launches Innovation Hub, partners with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)

(HONG KONG)—Thales Group, a leader in global technology in aerospace, transportation, defense and security with over 65,000 employees in 56 countries, announced yesterday that an Innovation Hub will be opened in Hong Kong, cooperating closely with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

An Innovation Hub, what is an “incubator of ideas for academic, government and industry representatives,” will serve the development of smart cities in Asia, following the regional ghost notes of their Innovation Hub in Singapore. Hubs are to serve as structures for the collaboration, innovation and combination of new design methods, simulation tools and visualizations to bring to life a experiential wonder with ‘customer-users’ and ultimately, the creation of better products.

Chairman and CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy, along with Senior Executive VP for International Development Pascale Sourisse are firm believers in the Thales mission statement: “Whenever a critical decision needs to be made, [Thales] is there. The right decisions at the right time.”

The new Hong Kong Innovation Hub will be welded to the concept of Smart Cities, exploring through the realms of security and transportation–the former centers around intelligent surveillance systems, with archived data and real-time feeds to enhance the efficacy of security operations; the latter dials in on inner-city transport data analysis, decision support and optimization of operations in an urban setting.

In partnering with HKUST the Innovation Hub will allow for an encouraging atmosphere, a stimulating environment for the development of products not-yet-imagined, through joint effort from Thales engineers, HKUST researchers and students alike.

Thales Group is a internationally-recognized proponent in the development of the new world; one where people are always mobile, infrastructures are tightly woven and information is at arm’s reach. Their words are on tongues worldwide.

“Together. Safer. Everywhere.”

Eden Woon, VP for HKUST Institutional Advancement provides insight into this achieved union of like minds:

“It is our great pleasure to have established a strategic partnership with the renowned innovation leader Thales,” Woon said. “HKUST has been delivering remarkable achievements in innovation research; Driven by the synergy created from the collaboration, we believe such new momentum will definitely help our city and the region as a whole to become a science and technology hub in the foreseeable future. Together we can translate breakthroughs into novel technologies and solutions, groom talents, and create employment opportunities.”