Mainland push key to tech and innovation race

Cross-institutional and mainland-Hong Kong innovation and technology collaboration should be encouraged to facilitate the city's I&T development, says former University of Hong Kong president Tsui Lap-chee said.

Progress in I&T since the handover has been sluggish, but has picked up in recent years amid Covid research projects, including those for tests, treatment and vaccination, he said.

In April the government proposed increased funding for research and development to make up 1.5 percent of gross domestic product at HK$678.169 billion in the first quarter.

Funding would be granted by the Innovation and Technology Fund on condition that R&D projects would boost GDP growth, and universities, along with R&D centers and designated research institutes, would be encouraged to submit more project proposals to bid for funding.

Tsui proposed strategies to boost I&T development in the region that would benefit from capital injections.

"Although government funding for technology research at universities has increased in recent years, the number of teachers and students conducting research has also increased accordingly, particularly in the field of biomedical technology," he said.

"Mainland-Hong Kong partnerships in I&T should be encouraged. Cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area should cooperate by sharing their results," he said.

"With the support of the mainland, the Hong Kong government will be able to diversify its strategies."

Two of the 17 schemes under the fund, the Guangdong-Hong Kong Technology Cooperation Funding Scheme, launched in 2004, and the Mainland-Hong Kong Joint Funding Scheme, launched in 2019, were created to enhance R&D collaboration between Hong Kong and various provinces in the mainland.

The remaining schemes focus on nurturing talent through funded internships and start-up support schemes under institutions funded by University Grants Committee on facilitating technology adoption and promoting innovation and technology culture.

Tsui also said that cross-institutional collaborations should be encouraged, despite competition among universities.

Tsui's comments came a day after President Xi Jinping hailed Hong Kong as China's international I&T hub.