Beijing and Hong Kong (ANTARA/PRNewswire)- MTR Lab Company Limited (“MTR Lab”, a completely owned subsidiary of MTR Corporation) and Beijing Zhongguancun Science City Innovation Development Co., Ltd. (“ZGC Science City Ltd”) are forming an ecosystem partnership. Focusing on good metropolis and sustainable growth, the collaboration will speed up the investments in and international enlargement of frontier tech enterprises throughout AI, robotics, good mobility, rail, retail, property and development. This cross‑border partnership between Hong Kong and Beijing leverages the strengths of each ecosystems to speed up the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation, aligning with the nationwide growth technique of “new quality productive forces (新質生產力).”
Chinese Mainland’s innovation ecosystem has surged in current occasions with fast advances in AI and associated applied sciences, powering a serious acceleration in good metropolis and sustainability growth. According to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, as of September 2025, there have been 5,300+ AI firms within the Chinese Mainland, accounting for round 15% of the worldwide whole. Beijing’s Haidian District, the AI innovation hub of China, is residence to over 35% of China’s AI firms, with a big focus of “specialised and sophisticated (專精特新)” enterprises and unicorns. These rising tendencies align intently with MTR Lab’s strategic investments in good‑metropolis and sustainable growth. Last yr, MTR Lab obtained practically double the variety of funding proposals and alternatives in AI and robotics in contrast with 2024. Among them, proposals originated from the Chinese Mainland accounted for greater than 30%.
As a core aspect of the partnership, whereas persevering with to deepen the combination of innovation sources, ZGC Science City Ltd will invite trade chief MTR Lab into its innovation ecosystem and refer MTR Lab to excessive‑potential startups in AI, good metropolis and sustainable growth for potential funding and collaboration. Through MTR Lab’s in depth international innovation community, the 2 events will collectively discover pilot software alternatives, expertise implementation and cross‑border enlargement, supporting Chinese startups in accessing broader international markets.
Deepening innovation ecosystem partnerships, Uniting to “Go Global”
As a world I&T investor, MTR Lab creates strategic worth by investments and ecosystem partnerships. Following its collaboration with TusStar, the partnership with ZGC Science City Ltd marks one other strategic step in deepening MTR Lab’s international collaborative change and strengthens MTR Lab’s innovation community within the Chinese Mainland.
Haidian District, the core space of Beijing’s International Science and Technology Innovation Center, fosters excessive‑high quality technological and industrial growth and hosts over 2,950 specialised and refined enterprises and 49 unicorns as of January 2026. Through this partnership, ZGC Science City Ltd will suggest high quality startups to MTR Lab. By leveraging MTR Lab’s in depth expertise within the abroad startup market and the complementary sources of its collaborative platform, each events will drive cross-border collaboration and discover potential co‑funding alternatives, connecting extra Chinese tech startups with international capital and abroad market sources.
“As a global strategic I&T investor and collaborative platform, MTR Lab has been partnering with innovators worldwide to drive next‑generation technologies,” stated Jing Shi, Head of Investment of MTR Lab. “Our investment portfolio spans Hong Kong, Chinese Mainland and developed markets. We strategically help Chinese innovators expand overseas, with examples such as acoustic AI monitoring leader Ensonic and AI‑powered retail tech company Whale. ZGC Science City Ltd ‘s rich ecosystem of R&D institutions, incubators and innovative enterprises will help us connect with more high‑tech, high‑potential startups and further strengthen our investment network in the Chinese Mainland. We look forward to combining our strengths to help tech startups land in Hong Kong and scale internationally, also to deepen collaboration between Beijing and Hong Kong.”
“Haidian District is at the core of Beijing’s International Science and Technology Innovation Center and is committed to driving the integration of technological innovation and industrial development. We nurture tech enterprises through an international cooperation ecosystem that helps companies ‘go global’ and expand into new markets,” stated Mary Huang, Ecosystem Partnership Division Deputy Division Manager of ZGC Science City Ltd. “AI is a key engine for sustainable development. As of December 2025, Haidian District is home to more than 1,900 AI companies, including 26 unicorns, accounting for about 70% of Beijing’s total. Under the 15th five-year plan, ZGC Science City Ltd will prioritise advancing broad AI adoption across traditional industries, deepening innovation ecosystem development, and driving high‑quality growth of Haidian District. We look forward to leveraging MTR Lab’s global network and extensive international market experience to help Chinese tech enterprises access overseas opportunities and pilot application scenarios, strengthen the broader industry ecosystem, and support their global expansion and business growth.”
Through this partnership, MTR Lab and ZGC Science City Ltd will deal with exploring funding and collaboration alternatives in good metropolis and sustainable growth, figuring out extra excessive‑potential tech startups from the Chinese Mainland, attracting international capital for high-quality expertise manufacturers and supporting their internation enlargement. MTR Lab will formally be part of the Z Hub situation acceleration platform of ZGC Science City Ltd to deepen its presence within the Chinese Mainland, and work with innovation companions to construct carbon‑impartial good communities and co-create a wiser, greener future.
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ABOUT MTR LAB
MTR Lab Company Limited (“MTR Lab”) is a completely owned subsidiary of MTR Corporation Limited. MTR Lab creates strategic worth by funding in applied sciences and formulates revolutionary options that help the long-term progress of communities. With a dedication to co-creating a wiser, greener future, MTR Lab goals to learn communities by investing in and introducing applied sciences throughout totally different sectors, together with mobility (MaaS, new mobility modes, rail tech), new retail expertise, property and development expertise, and monetary and information companies, driving constructive affect inside two overarching themes: good metropolis and sustainability. Its distinctive place as an innovation investor permits MTR Lab and its companions to strategically collaborate towards making a carbon-neutral good group. Together, let’s Keep Cities Moving!
ABOUT BEIJING ZGC SCIENCE CITY INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT CO., LTD
Beijing ZGC Science City Innovation Development Co., Ltd., established in May 2019, is a expertise funding and sector companies platform pushed by ecosystem growth, devoted to supporting the development of a world-leading science and expertise park. The firm operates by 5 core enterprise divisions: sector companies, ecosystem partnerships, expertise funding, property operations, and worldwide collaboration.
The firm has established a complete service system that covers the complete lifecycle of expertise enterprises throughout all parts, worth chains, and operational situations. This promotes deep integration of technological innovation and industrial growth in Haidian District, striving to create a hub for New Quality Productive Forces and supporting the event of world-leading science and expertise park.
Source: MTR Lab
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