The Government Work Report delivered by Premier Li Qiang in the course of the two periods units a transparent course for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area — to turn out to be a world innovation and know-how (I&T) hub, and to develop a world-class supply of technological innovation. For many in Hong Kong, the thought of an I&T hub is already acquainted. But what does the “source of innovation” actually imply, and the way ought to Hong Kong strategically place its function?
The supply of innovation is, fairly actually, a spot the place innovation is initiated. In the know-how context, it refers to an entire innovation chain, spanning fundamental analysis and know-how growth, by way of the interpretation of outcomes into functions, and on to the formation of industries. Hong Kong has lengthy excelled in fundamental analysis, with a excessive degree of internationalization and powerful educational output. Yet for years, translating analysis outcomes into merchandise and scaling them into industries has remained a serious bottleneck. To turn out to be a world-class supply of innovation, Hong Kong should higher join with sources in different Greater Bay Area cities and strengthen the center and downstream phases of innovation, so it may possibly combine into and assist the broader nationwide growth agenda.
In as we speak’s worldwide setting, innovation within the Greater Bay Area additionally requires an unbiased, controllable, end-to-end provide chain. This is not solely a query of price and effectivity because it more and more touches on nationwide safety. The COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical shocks that emerged over latest years have demonstrated repeatedly that secure provides of essential medicines, uncooked supplies, and core elements for different merchandise are a baseline for regular growth and development. Competition in science and know-how is due to this fact not solely about breakthroughs but additionally about whether or not merchandise may be delivered reliably, compliantly, and at scale.
Looking again at Hong Kong’s I&T monitor report, whereas many high-quality R&D initiatives efficiently produced a prototype within the laboratory, they hit bottlenecks on the commercialization stage. A typical instance is the nasal spray vaccine developed by native college groups in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic: Despite world-leading early analysis, Hong Kong’s extreme scarcity of producing services assembly good manufacturing apply requirements meant the scientific trial batches needed to be outsourced to Chinese mainland producers. Administrative hurdles, together with cross-boundary patent procedures, additional delayed the trials. By the time circumstances for mass manufacturing have been in place, the pandemic had receded and the window for industrialization and commercialization was misplaced. This encapsulates Hong Kong’s recurring drawback — many educational papers, few merchandise commercialized, and a hollowed-out industrial base.
The course of the fifteenth Five-Year Plan (2026-30) emphasizes strengthening strategic science and know-how capabilities, bettering the effectivity of allocating innovation sources, and constructing a extra full and efficient nationwide innovation system. For Hong Kong, probably the most speedy implication is to fill the hole in pilot manufacturing capability, which is the essential bridge between analysis and mass manufacturing. Pilot manufacturing validates processes beneath near-real manufacturing circumstances, optimizes parameters, and scales progressively from trial runs to small batches. Without native pilot manufacturing platforms, world-class analysis progress can be hindered and reliant on exterior services, elevating prices, slowing timelines, and decreasing management.
Working with mainland cities, it may possibly assist develop a globally aggressive, world-class supply of innovation and contribute Hong Kong’s strengths to the nation’s drive for high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening
This is why the Northern Metropolis ought to function a core platform for Hong Kong, and the Greater Bay Area, to turn out to be a real supply of innovation. The 2026-27 Budget proposed allocating HK$10 billion ($1.28 billion) every for the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (Hong Kong Park), San Tin Technopole, and Hung Shui Kiu growth. The precedence now is to fast-track shared pilot manufacturing capability at San Tin Technopole, supported by testing and certification, high quality administration, mental property, authorized companies, and financing. Done properly, this will shorten the trail from analysis to excessive value-added merchandise and construct the engineering and high quality expertise base wanted for sustained development.
Infrastructure funding is solely half the equation; institutional innovation is simply as essential. Hong Kong ought to join its top-tier analysis capability with the huge market and manufacturing sources in different Greater Bay Area cities. Through the Hong Kong Park, it ought to open devoted cross-boundary fast-track channels for the move of individuals, logistics (particularly organic samples), capital, and knowledge, backed by a traceable, high-compliance mechanism. This ought to embrace fit-for-purpose preparations for cold-chain logistics, pattern storage, and strict documentation necessities, so administrative boundaries and institutional variations not impede the environment friendly motion of progressive inputs.
Only by advancing software program and {hardware} in tandem, and by deepening integration throughout business, academia, analysis, and funding, can Hong Kong play its distinctive function in serving to construct the Greater Bay Area into a world innovation and know-how hub. Working with mainland cities, it may possibly assist develop a globally aggressive, world-class supply of innovation and contribute Hong Kong’s strengths to the nation’s drive for high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-strengthening.
Victor Kwok is deputy analysis director, Peter Lam is analysis supervisor, and Vivian Le is a researcher at Our Hong Kong Foundation.
The views don’t essentially replicate these of China Daily.