State-level innovation center to settle in HK
Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang Weihsiung on Monday said central government authorities and Hong Kong were “in talks” to set up a State-level innovation center in the special administrative region; details would “be announced soon”.
Yang did not elaborate further or mention a timetable for the scheme.
The new center will make Hong Kong the third city in China to have a State-level technology innovation center — after Beijing and Shanghai — according to an official document.
Yang’s comments echoed a statement made by the Ministry of Science and Technology in February that the ministry would “actively promote” Hong Kong to become a Statelevel innovation center. It would focus on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, smart city and finance technology.
Yang, speaking during a media gathering, said that under the Framework Agreement on Deepening Guang- dong-Hong Kong-Macao Cooperation in the Development of the Bay Area, cooperation on mainland-Hong Kong innovation and technology development was also being discussed.
Yang said Hong Kong boasts abundant technology and innovation breakthroughs. These have helped the city achieve success in several related industries.
He referred to Sequoia Capital, a world-leading venture capital firm that recently invested in six Hong Kong startups. Yang said Sequoia has so far received more than 500 startup plans from Hong Kong’s six universities and is interested in over 100 projects.
“That number shows that Hong Kong is very capable when it comes to innovation,” Yang noted.
He urged the public not to compare Hong Kong with Shenzhen in terms of technology and innovation development; the two cities complement each other.
Only through cooperation and by adopting a complementary development strategy can Hong Kong and Shenzhen achieve further success in technology and innovation, advised Yang.
The SAR should make full use of the city’s higher education background when developing closely with Shenzhen, he said.
So far 16 State Key Laboratories have established partner laboratories in Hong Kong with local universities.