International Innovation and Technology Centre
72. Hong Kong has to better capitalise on its advantage as an international I&T centre. Apart from strengthening co-operation with the Mainland and overseas, we should also make good use of the vast Mainland market as well as the regional advantages of the GBA. Furthermore, we have to pool the efforts of Government, industry, academic and research sectors to commercialise research and development (R&D) results and promote the development of I&T industry.
73. The Government has been stepping up efforts in promoting I&T development through an array of measures over the past few years, which have begun to yield solid results. The number of start‑ups in Hong Kong has increased to about 4 000 with over 10 unicorns. Hong Kong has been Asia's largest and the world's second largest fundraising hub for biotechnology companies in recent years.
74. To seize the immense opportunities arising from the 14th Five‑Year Plan and the GBA development, the Government promulgated the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Development Blueprint at the end of last year to map out the broad development directions and major strategies of future I&T development from the perspective of top‑level planning, with a view to charting Hong Kong in moving full steam towards the vision of an international I&T centre.
Life Technology and Artificial Intelligence
75. I announced in my last Budget that $10 billion would be earmarked to further promote the development of life and health technology in Hong Kong. In a bid to enhance support for the transformation of R&D outcomes as well as R&D activities related to life and health technology, I will set aside $6 billion out of the above provision to provide subsidies for universities and research institutes to set up thematic research centres. The aims are to foster cross‑university, cross-institutional and multi‑disciplinary co‑operation. We will invite universities and research institutes interested in setting up life and health technology research institutes to submit proposals in 2023‑24.
76. To further enhance basic research in frontier technology fields such as AI and quantum technology and to better realise our basic technology research capabilities in making breakthroughs out of the blue, I will earmark $3 billion to promote the development of relevant facilities, in particular, to leverage Hong Kong's unique advantage as a platform for international scientific research collaboration and attract leading I&T talents, research teams and enterprises from the Mainland and overseas to Hong Kong, thereby promoting cross-sectoral research cooperation.
Microelectronics Research and Development Institute
77. Microelectronics is the core technology in high-tech and information industries. Given the rapid growth of its global demand, microelectronics has infinite room for development and Hong Kong must seize this opportunity. The Government will support the establishment of a Microelectronics Research and Development Institute to promote microelectronics development in Hong Kong, aiming to make it a leading organisation for supporting microelectronics development in the Asia-Pacific region. The Institute will be tasked with strengthening collaboration with universities, R&D centres and the industry and expediting the "1 to N" transformation of technological outcomes. This will help pool together Mainland and overseas talents in relevant fields and strengthen the nurturing of local R&D talents, thereby further enhancing the I&T ecosystem.
Nurture Start-ups
78. The Government has been supporting the sustainable development of the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong through the HKSTPC and Cyberport. To step up investment in technology start-ups, the HKSTPC will inject $400 million into its Corporate Venture Fund to help more technology start-ups with potential. In addition, the HKSTPC will, through consolidating its existing Acceleration Programme and injecting an additional amount of $110 million, launch the Co-acceleration Programme in collaboration with cooperation partners to support the growth of technology start-ups with high potential into regional or global enterprises.
79. To tie in with the policy of developing smart city and digital economy, I will earmark $265 million for Cyberport to launch a dedicated incubation programme for smart living start‑ups, under which a maximum grant of $500,000 as well as targeted professional support and counselling will be provided. It is anticipated that about 90 eligible start‑ups will benefit from the programme in each of the next five years.
New Industrialisation
80. Advanced manufacturing activities generate R&D demand and encourage private enterprises to invest more resources in R&D work, thereby supporting Hong Kong in developing into an international I&T centre. The Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC) in the Tseung Kwan O InnoPark was opened in April 2022, providing advanced manufacturing space of about 110 000 square metres. Tenants which have already moved in include enterprises engaged in the manufacturing of civilian satellites and advanced materials as well as provision of smart logistics‑related services. To tie in with the policy objectives of attracting strategic enterprises to establish a presence in Hong Kong and promoting new industrialisation, the Government will plan ahead to provide more advanced manufacturing space, including to support the setting up of the second AMC, on which the HKSTPC is currently conducting a feasibility study.
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