The Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR), co-founded by Patricia Culliton, Hannah Bradford, and Stephen Birch in 1993, began several years earlier as an informal group (the Committee for Acupuncture Research) to discuss methodological concerns in acupuncture research.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) aspires to be an innovative world-class university with a strong sense of social responsibility, driven by its motto, “To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind”.

Officially inaugurated in July 2022, the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) is PolyU’s central platform to advance interdisciplinary research, knowledge and technology transfer and research collaborations. PAIR comprises 18 constituent research units, making it the largest research platform of its kind in the Greater Bay Area.

The Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI) was established in October 2021 as a university-level platform to facilitate impactful interdisciplinary research under the umbrella of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU).