With DSP, future systems can become more intelligent, connected and secured. This is the vision for CSP (the Centre for Signal Processing) and it is my wish that, this vision will help to provide a direction for the research activities undertaken in the CSP. We have also identified three thrust areas: intelligent human-computer interaction, bio signal processing, and homeland security, to help focus our research activities. Both the vision and the thrust areas have remained unchanged since 2002 as it is important to stay focused for a sufficiently long period of time if we want to achieve great impacts.

What makes a Centre successful is the expertise and impact created. I hope to leverage on the research framework and structure set up for CSP and help passionate faculty members and researchers with great research ideas fulfill their research dreams. Ideas with a high potential of creating impacts in research or commercialization have been identified from time to time and assistances have been provided to help expedite the research progress. Assistances take the form of providing bridging fund (small amount) from the revenue CSP earned externally, laboratory space, and/or match-making the research team to external funding agencies and/or value partners. I am happy to note that some of the research ideas we have supported since a few years back are beginning to bear fruits. Some of them are making research impact gaining international recognition and/or large external funding.

Another key success factor for a research centre is the availability of a conducive environment. On this, efforts have been put in to give priority to supporting research activities with minimum "managerial/administrative" interferences. This requires a higher level mind set not only in the management but also in the support staffs. Again, I am proud to share that, the support staffs in CSP are simply great staffs who know how important their roles are and have been actively exercising good initiatives in providing valuable support to the research teams in CSP.

Last but not the least, a successful Centre is one that many own and help shape. On this, I am opened for suggestions on how the operation of CSP can be modified to provide more values to the research activities so long as it is aimed at bringing about creating greater impacts. Thanks to the suggestion of several faculty members, I have recently started a series of exchange forums with the aim of allowing faculty members, researchers and research students to share their research findings on a regular basis so that all can advance faster.

I wish everyone good health and a successful future.