A fertile ground for academia

Elina Tachkova - an assistant professor from Europe who also joined HKBU two years ago to teach students advertising and public relations - said she enjoys life in Hong Kong and can feel the pulse of the city through its vibrant atmosphere and abundant activities. "There are so many things we can do here. We are so close to nature, and it's just a matter of taking a bus to reach the mountains in no time. Hong Kong is attractive because it has a really good work-life balance."

"Hong Kong also offers vast opportunities to apply for research grants, such as funding from the Research Grants Council. We are also constantly encouraged to collaborate internationally and attend conferences, with ample resources to do so," Tachkova said.

"Despite being relatively new to my department at HKBU, I have been offered lots of leadership opportunities that are challenging and rewarding. I truly value the trust the university has placed in me, and the chance to develop my skills through such experiences. I also have the academic freedom to pursue the topics I'm interested in," she said.

Tachkova suggested Hong Kong universities step up their self-promotion, making their competitive advantages more visible to attract diversified students from around the world. "I believe that exposing students to different perspectives and allowing them to interact and learn from other cultures would be highly beneficial. Such an approach would likely attract more professors with international backgrounds, as well."

According to online data provider Statista, the number of students from the mainland accounted for more than half of the total number of nonlocal students enrolling at Hong Kong universities funded by the University Grants Committee in the past decade. For the 2019-20 academic year, up to 13,000 nonlocal students at local universities were from the mainland, with over 5,400 others from the rest of Asia and about 860 students from other parts of the world.