Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Bureau: Preparing to establish a HK$10 billion "Innovation and Technology Industry Guidance Fund" to establish a competitive innovation and technology industry chain.

On January 9, at the "Greater Bay Area (Nansha) Business Summit and Exchange 2026" in Nansha, Hong Kong Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Eric Tsang, stated that the Hong Kong government is determined to promote new industrialization and is currently preparing to establish a HK$10 billion "Innovation and Technology Industry Development Fund". The fund is planned to be launched in the 2026-2027 fiscal year to strengthen market investment in designated strategic emerging and future industries, establishing a innovation and technology industry chain with Hong Kong advantages. Tsang mentioned that the Hong Kong SAR government has implemented a series of policy measures in the past three years to enhance the innovation and technology ecosystem, make progress in supporting traditional manufacturing industries to upgrade and transform with innovation and technology, as well as promoting the development of innovation and new industrialization. According to government statistics, the value added by Hong Kong's "manufacturing and new industrial industries" in 2024 was HK$82.2 billion, a 7% increase from the previous year, accounting for approximately 2.64% of Hong Kong's GDP, reflecting the gradual effectiveness of government policies. Tsang stated that Hong Kong needs to leverage its highly international and well-connected advantage, serving as a "super connector" and "super value-added person", working together with the mainland. Since 2023, the Innovation and Technology Bureau has supported nearly 500 potential or leading innovation and technology companies interested in developing, establishing or expanding their business in Hong Kong, covering strategic industries such as life and health technology, artificial intelligence and robotics, advanced manufacturing, and new energy technology. Hong Kong has always encouraged these companies to collaborate with local enterprises and make use of the various support programs of the SAR government to establish their research, development, pilot and production bases here, leveraging the brand advantage of Hong Kong manufacturing to expand their products and services to global markets. Recently, Hong Kong has relaxed the application threshold for the HK$1 billion "Accelerator Scheme for New Industries" to promote the landing and development of innovation and technology industries, reducing the minimum total project cost requirement from HK$300 million to HK$150 million, in order to support the construction of more intelligent production facilities. In addition, the Hong Kong government is promoting the establishment of the Hong Kong New Industrial Development Alliance to pool resources and build a collaborative platform for "government-industry-research-investment" cooperation. These measures aim to drive the development of Hong Kong's innovation and technology ecosystem, better support enterprises in different regions, including the Greater Bay Area, to achieve their development goals. "Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou" was ranked first in the global innovation cluster last year, which fully demonstrates the enormous potential and infinite prospects of the Bay Area. In the new historical era, Hong Kong will further leverage its unique advantages of "backing up the motherland, connecting with the world" and its role as a two-way platform of "bringing in and going out", strengthen innovation and technology linkage and complementarity with partner cities in the Bay Area, and contribute to the country's self-reliance in science and technology, leading the development of new productive forces, and building a high-quality science and technology industrial system.