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The 10th meeting of the Mainland/Hong Kong Science and Technology Co-operation Committee was held in Hong Kong today (November 5).
The meeting was co-chaired by the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, and the Vice-Minister of Science and Technology of the Central People's Government, Dr Cao Jianlin.
Mr So said, "This year is the concluding year of the National 12th Five-Year Plan. Since 2011, the policy initiatives on supporting the innovation and technology development of Hong Kong as announced by the Central People's Government in its 12th Five-Year Plan have been successfully implemented and have achieved good results. The City University of Hong Kong (CityU), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have recently obtained approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) to establish five Hong Kong branches of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centres (CNERCs). The selection and establishment of the Hong Kong branches of the CNERCs has been achieved through the leadership of the Committee. It will encourage more science and technology institutions and personnel in Hong Kong to participate in national science and technology projects, enhancing the co-operation and development of technology of both places."
During his visit to Hong Kong in 2011, the then Vice-Premier of the State Council, Mr Li Keqiang, announced the initiative of establishing Hong Kong branches of the CNERCs. In 2012, approval was granted by MOST for the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) to establish the first Hong Kong Branch of the National Application-Specific Integrated Circuit System Engineering Research Centre in collaboration with the National Application-Specific Integrated Circuit System Engineering Research Centre of Southeast University in Nanjing on a pilot basis. There are now six Hong Kong branches of the CNERCs in Hong Kong.
He added, "At the meeting, the approach and schedule of the first round of reassessment of the Partner State Key Laboratories (PSKLs) to be conducted in 2016 were also endorsed. The 12 PSKLs established in or prior to 2010 will be reassessed to ensure that their leading positions in respective scientific research areas are maintained.
At present, there are a total of 16 PSKLs in Hong Kong, of which 12 were approved by MOST in or prior to 2010 and the other four were approved in 2013. The Research Grants Council (RGC) will assist in nominating overseas and Mainland experts to be assessors and setting up a working group to conduct the assessment.
The Committee also agreed to continue to explore the directions in deepening science and technology co-operation between the two places during the National 13th Five-Year Plan period, with the aim of supporting Hong Kong to become the leading base for international science and technology exchanges and co-operation, in concert with national needs and developments.
Mainland members attending the meeting came from MOST, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Association for Science and Technology, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, and the Science and Technology Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality.
The Hong Kong delegation comprised representatives from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, the Innovation and Technology Commission, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, the RGC, CityU, Hong Kong Baptist University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, PolyU, HKUST, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, ASTRI, the Hong Kong Automotive Parts and Accessory Systems R&D Centre, the Hong Kong R&D Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management Enabling Technologies, the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, and Nano and Advanced Materials Institute Limited.
Ends/Thursday, November 5, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:36
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