Hong Kong’s leading university launches virtual campus in the meta-universe

Students of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology will be able to take classes and communicate with fellow students in the meta-universe, as two campuses of the university are planned to be transferred to the virtual space.

The campuses will be part of the MetaHKUST project led by two university professors. In the first phase, the physical infrastructure will be installed, including classrooms for XR and cameras for scanning. The university will then scan the physical campuses — one in Hong Kong and the other in the South Chinese city of Guangzhou.

After that, students and teachers will be able to create their own avatars, NFT tokens, and artwork for use in the metaverse. They will also be able to receive their diplomas and lecture notes in NFT format.

The project has a second aspect: bringing the two campuses closer together. Traveling between China and Hong Kong still has many difficulties due to Covid. Thanks to MetaHKUST’s initiatives, students will be able to join lectures and events held at both campuses. The Chinese government has been emphasizing that universities establish closer ties with each other, especially after the massive protests in Hong Kong where people have been protesting against Chinese rule.