Professor He Yonghong still remembers the challenges he faced when he first stepped foot in Shenzhen. Though holding the latest research results in medical and optical technology, he was unable to industrialize them. "No one was interested in our research," he said.
Yet, he saw the rapid change in Shenzhen’s innovation atmosphere over the years. "Shenzhen is paying more attention to scientific and technological innovation," he said. In an interview with the Shenzhen Economic Daily, HE even described it as a golden time for scientists and entrepreneurs.
Shenzhen -- a place to achieve dreams
HE joined Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School because he believed that Tsinghua University was a place that attracted top talents, and that Shenzhen was a city of vitality and great potential.
"Shenzhen provides a large stage, and no matter how big your dreams are, all of them can be achieved here," he said.
HE eventually found a private enterprise to industrialize his research results. "We research, develop and produce optical coherence tomography (OCT) instruments for ophthalmology. Now in China, one of every three of such instruments is produced by us. Our market share is 35%, and our products are also sold to Southeast Asia and Europe."
Embracing entrepreneurship
HE encourages students in his research group to engage in both scientific research and entrepreneurship.
"We are working in a field that requires us to be the most advanced. Our technology has been widely recognized in the field of optical instruments, and they have filled the blanks in China and are also used overseas. Research, entrepreneurship, and innovation are all interconnected.”
Innovating with vision and foresight
As an advisor, HE believes that having vision and foresight is important. “It’s important to know what is new when trying to innovate. As teachers, we have to be knowledgeable, have a global vision, and lead students on the frontiers."
His students see bright prospects in entrepreneurship. “Many of my students have chosen the road of entrepreneurship which can be rough and challenging at times. However, as people around the world are paying more attention to health and health technologies, we believe that there are huge opportunities,” he said.
Currently, multiple projects of HE’s research group are being industrialized. With the emphasis Shenzhen places on science and technology as well as the rich support it provides for innovation, HE believes that there is a bright future for research and entrepreneurship in the city of Shenzhen.
