The agreement was signed by Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, and Prof. Zhang Bigong, President of Shenzhen University. The signing was witnessed by Dr. Vincent H.C. Cheng, Chairman of the Council, CUHK; Mr. Luo Weiqi, Director-General of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province; and Ms. Wu Yihuan, Vice-Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government.

Dr. Vincent H.C. Cheng, Chairman of the University Council, thanked the Shenzhen Municipal Government and Shenzhen University for their full support and collaboration.  He remarked at the signing ceremony, 'The establishment of a CUHK Shenzhen campus will nurture talents who are international in outlook, learned in their subjects, moral in character, and innovative in thinking, and aims at exploring a new direction for the higher education reform in China.'

The campus of CUHK (SZ) will be located to the south of Dayun Park in Longgang District, and will have an area of around 1 million square metres. According to the collaboration agreement, CUHK will be responsible for daily management, teaching and research, and faculty recruitment; Shenzhen University will be responsible for liaising with the Shenzhen Municipal Government in relation to matters concerning the campus site and infrastructure.

CUHK (SZ) will be constructed in two phases, with an ultimate student population of around 11,000. In the early stage, it will first launch programmes in science, engineering, economics and management. Undergraduate students will be admitted through the National Colleges and Universities Enrolment System as well as independent recruitment, on a selective basis. Admission criteria for postgraduate students will be modelled on current CUHK practice, which considers applicants' academic and research performance. The Senate of CUHK will be responsible for the approval and monitoring of programmes offered by CUHK (SZ).

The President of CUHK (SZ) will be responsible for its management, under the leadership of the Executive Board, its governing body. The Executive Board will be chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of CUHK and comprise eight members each nominated by CUHK and Shenzhen University. The Chairman will have a casting vote.

Throughout the deliberations on establishing CUHK (SZ), CUHK has adhered to the following principles: CUHK (SZ) must ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is on a par with that at CUHK; the Shenzhen campus must enjoy academic freedom; and the set-up and operation of the Shenzhen campus must be financed independently, with no cross-subsidy from the Shatin campus. It is expected that a detailed agreement on implementation plans will be reached and signed in one year's time.