Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing donates HK$120 million to Stanford University to nurture entrepreneurs, pioneer disease therapies
- Billionaire, 95, praises university institute championing new generation of entrepreneurs and backs research of two prominent scholars to fight diseases
- University president says retired tycoon’s contributions will ‘provide profound benefits to so many in our own community and well beyond’
Hong Kong’s richest man has donated about HK$120 million (US$15 million) to Stanford University to fund a programme that aims to nurture entrepreneurs, as well as research efforts to combat genetic neurological and immune-related diseases.
The Li Ka Shing Foundation will give some of the money to the Stanford Initiative for Entrepreneurs’ Resilience and Well-Being (SIER), while the rest will go to the research projects of two prominent scholars.
“I am especially pleased this gift reaffirms my lifetime pursuit in support of the good of science, where innovations become inspiring novel solutions in the hands of successful entrepreneurs,” retired tycoon Li Ka-shing wrote in a statement earlier this week.
The 95-year-old billionaire also praised the SIER programme for its goal of unlocking “critical pathways for transformative technologies” to benefit the world.
The tycoon previously pledged funds in 2010 to establish the Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge under Stanford’s medical school.
The latest round of funds will support research efforts that focus on why “some entrepreneurs are resilient and ultimately achieve their goals, while others are unsuccessful”.
