BEIJING, June 28 -- The charitable foundation of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing had donated US$40 million to the University of California at Berkeley, campus officials confirmed.

    This donation from the Li Ka-shing Foundation will be used to establish a research center that focuses on new scientific fields including stem cell biology and brain imaging, according to campus officials.

    ¡°I am a firm believer in the spirit of public-private partnership, and I am excited by the advanced work Berkeley is undertaking,¡± says billionaire philanthropist Li Ka-shing in a statement. ¡°The work and research being done there will result in phenomenal benefits to mankind.¡±

    Li¡¯s donation will jump-start planning on a new US$160 million scientific research center slated for construction in 2007. Construction will be completed in 2009.

    The building will be named the ¡°Li Ka-shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences.¡±

    It is the largest international gift in the history of the University of California, Berkeley.

    Li¡¯s foundation gave a HK$1 billion (US$128 million) donation to the University of Hong Kong in early May this year, which decided weeks later to rename its medical school HKU Li Ka-shing Faculty of Medicine. The move prompted criticism among school alumni that charged school officials with putting naming rights up for sale.

    In a letter on the Web site of the University of Hong Kong later, Li said he decided to accept the renaming because the medical school ¡°shares the same mission and dedication to the pursuit of excellence that I do.¡±

    He said allowing the renaming was ¡°a measure of my own dedication to Hong Kong and its future.¡±

    Li also noted he avoided naming privileges in more than 80 percent of the donations he has made in the past 30 years.

    The University of Hong Kong has said the renaming was an appropriate gesture given the size of Li¡¯s donation.

    Li¡¯s wealth is a far cry from his humble beginnings in Chaozhou, Guangdong Province, where his work ethic and strong commitment to learning grew after his own education took a back seat after his father died when he was 12.

    He established the Li Ka-shing Foundation in 1980 to coordinate donations for education, medicine, and cultural and community welfare.

(Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)