The Chinese Academy of Sciences launched its second summer internship program for Hong Kong undergraduates in Beijing on Monday, allowing students from the special administrative region to learn about traditional Chinese culture and scientific development and build relations with peers from the Chinese mainland.

For the following six weeks, 49 students from top Hong Kong universities will study artificial intelligence, robotics and autonomous driving, physics, mathematics and biosciences in six institutions under the academy, China's highest academic institute.

The number of participants and host institutions has doubled compared with that of last summer. The program is organized by Hong Kong's Home Affairs Bureau, the academy's Bureau of Science Communication and the Intelligence Science and Technology Popularization Alliance.

"The program is a great opportunity for Hong Kong undergraduates to learn about the nation's latest scientific developments and improve their professional knowledge and skills," said Li Shushen, the academy's vice-president, at the program's opening on Monday.

"We welcome more Hong Kong students to come study at the academy and contribute to the prosperity of the nation," he said.

In recent years, the mainland and Hong Kong have expanded cultural and career-oriented exchange programs as a means of providing education and employment opportunities for the younger generation, as well as facilitating social integration and joint progress.

Last year, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong SAR, pledged to enhance scientific exchanges and collaboration with the Chinese mainland after President Xi Jinping said the central authorities would support Hong Kong becoming an international center for innovative science and technology.

Jack Chan Jick-chi, Hong Kong's undersecretary for home affairs, said the internship program can expand Hong Kong students' horizons, and he hopes participants will share their experiences with others back home.

Xu Bo, director of the academy's Institute of Automation, said his institute is happy to host another group of Hong Kong students.

"AI is now changing the world, and our institute is one of the best in the country to study AI technologies," Xu said. He added that the institute appreciates Hong Kong students' curiosity and aspirations of using new technologies to benefit society.

Zhang Dongmei, secretary-general of the Intelligence Science and Technology Popularization Alliance, said she hopes Hong Kong students can learn necessary scientific methodologies and foster a spirit of exploration to be successful in their future careers.

Shuen Chi-yeung, a junior at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said he would love to learn about neural networks and AI applications in biology during his time in Beijing.

"Hong Kong and the mainland share many common issues, such as traffic congestion and aging populations, that can be solved via advances in new technologies," Shuen said. "Although Hong Kong has devoted many resources to scientific research, it is still incomparable to the mainland, so cooperation and exchanges are key."