The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) today announced the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) at the Digital Entertainment Leadership Forum (DELF), held at Cyberport. The agreements were made with Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited (Cyberport), and in a separate tripartite arrangement with BytePlus Pte. Ltd. (BytePlus) and Ultra Instinct Limited (Ultra Instinct), an operating entity under Mei Ah Entertainment Group Limited. These partnerships highlight HKAPA's commitment to advancing innovation in arts education and preparing the next generation of creative performing arts talent for an AI-driven future.
The MoUs align with HKAPA's strategic vision of embedding emerging technologies into performing arts curricula, while strengthening collaboration among academia, industry, and technology leaders. They also strongly support the Academy's plans to launch the HKAPA Creative Futures & Innovation Centre in early 2027, with Cyberport serving as one of the key institutional partners.
Under the agreement with Cyberport, HKAPA will collaborate on advancing art technology and digital innovation through talent development, knowledge exchange, entrepreneurship support, and industry-academia partnerships. Key initiatives include expanding internship and placement opportunities, building connections with Cyberport's startup ecosystem, promoting student entrepreneurship, and exploring the development of an immersive studio to benefit both students and technology innovators.
Meanwhile, the tripartite MoU with BytePlus and Ultra Instinct aims to establish a framework for cooperation in AI filmmaking and creative education. The three parties will jointly explore development opportunities for an AI film ecosystem integrating industry, academia, and research, working together to create a flywheel effect of “IP + AI + Talent”. By combining Ultra Instinct's AI filmmaking platform “Wuji” and industry expertise, BytePlus's advanced AI video-generation technologies and cloud infrastructure, and HKAPA's strengths in talent cultivation, the partnership will explore AI-assisted film production training, curriculum integration, workshops, masterclasses, creative content development, and research into new forms of storytelling and content creation.
Professor Anna CY Chan, Academy Director, remarked, "The signing of these MoUs marks an important step in HKAPA’s ongoing journey to connect artistic excellence with technological innovation. As AI and emerging technologies reshape the creative landscape, our role is not only to introduce new tools into performing arts education but also to work closely with industry partners to open new pathways for creativity, knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship, and future career development. We also proactively explore development opportunities across the industry–academia–research ecosystem, joining forces to create a robust “IP + AI + Talent” flywheel effect. Through our collaboration with Cyberport, BytePlus, and Ultra Instinct, and the planned launch of the HKAPA Creative Futures & Innovation Centre in early 2027, we hope to open new possibilities for our students, educators, and young artists to experiment with emerging technologies, incubate innovative ideas, and develop new forms of creative expression. By bringing together imagination, technology, and industry collaboration, HKAPA will continue to nurture future artists and creative leaders who are bold, responsible, and ready to shape the future of the arts.”
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The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (www.hkapa.edu)
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), established by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Ordinance in 1984, is a world-leading higher education institution for the performing arts. It provides professionally-oriented undergraduate education and postgraduate studies in Chinese Opera, Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts. Its educational philosophy reflects the cultural diversity of Hong Kong with an emphasis on Chinese and Western traditions, and interdisciplinary learning. In the 2026 QS World University Rankings, the Academy ranks 10th for Performing Arts and 1st in Asia.
The Academy has been granted Programme Area Accreditation status by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications to award its own Certificates, Diplomas, Bachelor’s (Honours) Degrees and Master’s Degrees. In the past four decades, more than 10,000 artists have graduated from the Academy, going on to become performing artists, creative arts practitioners, filmmakers, educators and cultural leaders with global impact – many have won international awards and shone in their respective artistic fields.
Besides the main campus in Wanchai, Béthanie, the Academy’s Landmark Heritage Campus in Pokfulam, houses educational facilities for the School of Film and Television.