There are still more than 20 minutes before the end of work, and the entrance of NB Electric headquarters is already full of media reporters.

Hong Kong Satellite TV was late, and Zhang Shaoying, the head of the house, hurriedly jumped out of the car, took her partner who was carrying the camera, and squeezed into the crowd in a hurry.

The big media is always so horizontal, and a tabloid reporter is very unhappy, so he asked sideways: "Miss Zhang, why are you here too?" ”

"If you can come, why don't we come."

"I don't follow the big news in Shenshuibu, but I rob us, is it interesting?"

Zhang Shaoying showed an apologetic smile and explained: "I just came over there, and the scene of the crime was tightly cordoned off by the police, and none of the CIDs were willing to be interviewed, so they could only wait for the police department's press conference in the evening." ”

"Did the robbers really shoot with an AK-47?"

"There were so many witnesses, it's definitely true."

Yesterday afternoon, a group of armed robbers brazenly ransacked several gold shops in Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong, and when the police arrived, they took out AK-47 rifles and opened fire.

The blatant looting, the shootout in the streets, and the deterioration of law and order to such an extent that the security department was overwhelmed.

Yesterday morning, there was a shocking news from HKUST that young scientists Tsai Yangzhi and Chen Wushou, who had just made a breakthrough in academics, not only declined the invitation to serve as the deputy director of the Nanoelectronics Laboratory and the visiting professor of the Faculty of Science, but even left Hong Kong to teach at the University of California, Berkeley and Arizona State University respectively at the end of this month.

Soon after, HKU and CUHK successively revealed that Kwok Junru and Shen Xinru, the discoverers of the "giant magnetoresistive effect" and the pioneers of spintronics, who were also visiting professors at the two universities, had resigned from their positions as directors and deputy directors of basic research in the NB Laboratory and would go to Germany at the end of this month to teach at Humboldt University of Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin.

Before the news was confirmed, an insider from Polytechnic University, who did not want to be named, broke the news to the media that due to a series of demands such as the relocation of the NB laboratory, the purchase of experimental equipment and the expansion of the scale, the Hong Kong government has not responded for a long time. Young scientists are discouraged, which is why they accept invitations from foreign universities and research institutes.

In addition to the above four, it also includes Li Shengqu's team, which invented high-voltage insulating materials, and Han Jiacheng's team, which developed wide bandgap semiconductor materials. Even Sun Xiaoguang, director of the Systems Engineering Laboratory, Huang Li'an, director of the Technology Application Laboratory, and Wei Huaming, director of the Xiangjiang Experimental Workshop, are ready to find other jobs.

They are welcomed by Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Tokyo and Tohoku University in Japan, Leipzig University and Dresden University in Germany, King University of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait University.

According to him, this is likely to be the largest and largest outflow of manpower in Hong Kong's history. After all, all the people who went out in the past were international students, and they all went to further study. And they go out as professors or associate professors. The worst are also researchers in national laboratories.

With two Nobel laureates and nearly 100 well-known scientists in the field of materials physics and materials chemistry attending the "Hong Kong Nanotechnology Academic Forum", which has just ended, dozens of young scientists representing the highest level of basic research and technology application in Hong Kong are about to leave en masse, what does it mean?

If you think about it on your toes, this means that Hong Kong cannot retain talent. Can't keep the best talent!

It is undoubtedly the Hong Kong government that has caused all this, if the Education Department can be more proactive. Young scientists who have been researching in Hong Kong and have been adjunct professors or lecturers at HKU, CUHK and PolyU for more than four years. How can you go to a foreign country all at once?

Big news, definitely big news.

So media reporters flocked to try to confirm the authenticity of these messages. There was a lot of excitement outside, and the phone at the headquarters rang non-stop, and the most anxious were Principal Gao and Mr. Gu.

“…… This is a very normal academic exchange, which lasts for three years. One is to let them go out and have a look, and the other is to help train newcomers. For example, Dr. Oberman, who has been engaged in superconductivity research in Hong Kong for nearly four years, is the only fitting person to take over as the director of the Basic Research Laboratory. Another example is Dr. Jiang Meimei, who has just returned from Max Plan, and can take over as the director of the systems engineering laboratory. ”

Principal Gao breathed a sigh of relief. After thinking about it, he still said worriedly: "Mr. Zhang, even if you communicate, you can't go out all at once." Dozens of top talents, including even the most critical technology applications, how to fill this talent gap? ”

The charter and Guo Junru glanced at each other, grabbed the phone and said proudly: "President Gao, don't worry, the laboratory has enough talent reserves. In fact, as early as four years ago, we had plans to make a request to the German Max? The Planck Society, the Fraunhofer Association for the Promotion of Applied Research and the Leibniz Society sent 38 exchange personnel, in addition to more than 40 people at the NB laboratory in Berlin. ”

The people who went out were all graduate students, with a high starting point, and four years of exchange in the top three societies in the world were enough to come back and take on important responsibilities. And the NB laboratory in Berlin is, to put it bluntly, a condensed version of the former East German Academy of Sciences. After a few years of further study there, the application of technology may not be as good as that of developed countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan, but basic research is absolutely fine.

With the alternating rotation of talents, the overall research level will inevitably spiral.

At the same time, let the veterans who have made academic achievements go abroad for exchanges, and give up the position of the director and deputy director of several major laboratories and experimental workshops to newcomers, which is not to prepare for his own office, Gao Kun Daigo understood like an empowerment, and couldn't help but sigh: "Mr. Zhang, I am more confident in the future of the laboratory." ”

"Me too," the charter nodded slightly, and said with concern: "President Gao, although you have not officially taken office, but for us you are already the chief scientist of NB Electrical, if there is any need, just ask, the group and the laboratory will definitely find a way to solve it." ”

"Thank you, thank you very much, the new Chancellor Selection Committee has been formed, everything is moving forward in an orderly manner, and there is really nothing that needs help."

"Alright then, we'll wait for you."

In contrast, Mr. Gu's side was not very easy to explain, and when he dialed the phone, he only heard Gu Lao say eagerly on the other end: "Charter, I can understand your feelings, but is it too extreme to do this?" Besides, in addition to the Hong Kong government's appropriation, you can also raise donations, and if you have made such great achievements in academics, three or five hundred million should be no problem, even if it is not enough, isn't there still me? ”

The old man's later generations did donate to build a research institute, but this is not just a matter of funding, the charter patiently explained: "Mr. Gu, you have a special status, I don't want you to be embarrassed, let alone fight your old idea." What's more, this is the first and only opportunity for NB Electric to become the leader of Hong Kong's manufacturing industry. ”

"What do you mean?"

"We need to support what you always know, but in addition to supporting we can also drive more manufacturing enterprises, especially in smelting, chemical and machinery manufacturing, we have enough technical reserves. However, many Hong Kong enterprises do not lack capital or management talents, but only lack technology and confidence to set foot in basic industries. ”

The charter paused, and then said: "If you don't make a fuss, who can really understand the technical strength of the NB Lab except for the education community; If we don't build the NB Lab into a non-profit research institution like the NB Lab in Berlin, who will really believe that we can teach it? In general, this is for the national industry, and the novel is for the development of our NB Electric, not only because NB technology does this, but also because we really need more basic support. ”

Thinking of NB Electric's approach in East Germany, Mr. Gu suddenly reacted: "Do you want to build a Hong Kong Kang Cai En like in East Germany through technical ties?" ”

"We didn't think that far, but the domestic situation is too complicated, and it is safer to hold a group than to go it alone."

Investing in a large factory, followed by a group of small factories, are all Hong Kong-funded enterprises, which can not only solve the supporting problems, but also safeguard the interests of NB Electric to the greatest extent.

Only then did Mr. Gu realize his good intentions, after all, the domestic situation was as "complicated" as he said, and even the local government of Dongcheng Group wanted to do something practical.

Mr. Gu pondered for a moment and then asked, "Then why do you say that this is the only chance?" ”

This question is more difficult to explain, but fortunately, a foreshadowing has been laid before, and the charter covered the microphone and said in a low voice: "Mr. Gu, the next words will come out of my mouth and into your ears, and they must not be leaked out." ”

"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret."

"Do you remember when we had a chief economist who wasn't officially in office? His surname is Xie and he works as an analyst at the World Bank. He believes that there are big problems in the European economy, especially the economies of the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, which are entering a recession, and a financial crisis is likely. Once the British economy really goes wrong, it will inevitably affect Hong Kong, and when the Hong Kong governor will not have time to rescue his hometown, how can he allocate funds to us to build a laboratory? ”

The charter did not open the word, and the independent director and chief economist of NB Electric, who had not yet taken office, really analyzed it. Not only that, but in later generations, he even accurately predicted many financial turmoil, including the Hong Kong property market and the Southeast Asian financial turmoil.

Mr. Gu was not interested in stocks, futures and currency trading, for fear that in order to raise more funds, his head would be mixed in, and he said earnestly: "The charter, it is not easy for you to have today, you must do real things, such as speculating in currency, stocks, and real estate are all harmful things." Inside information like this is flying all over Hong Kong, and there are winners and there are definitely losers. Some people are developed, but many more have lost their money. (To be continued......)