Speech by CE at InnoHK Launch Ceremony (with photos/video)
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First and foremost, on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, may I extend my heartfelt welcome and appreciation to all the research teams that have chosen to set a foothold in our InnoHK research clusters. Your take is a clear vote of confidence in the huge development potential of Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) sector, for which we feel much encouraged.
Since my announcement of an eight-pronged approach to step up the Government's efforts to develop I&T in my inaugural Policy Address in October 2017, our city has come a long way in advancing this sector with a goal of not only diversifying Hong Kong's economy, but also doing good for humankind. These efforts and the $150 billion my Government has committed to I&T development within this term have certainly paid off. On this note, may I highlight two further areas of work which I believe will bring Hong Kong's I&T to new heights.
First, with our solid foundation in research and a good number of world-renowned experts, Hong Kong could better leverage its strengths in life and health sciences. I thus proposed, in my 2021 Policy Address delivered last October, to set up an InnoLife Healthtech Hub at the Lok Ma Chau Loop Hong Kong-Shenzhen I&T Park. Our existing 16 life and health-related laboratories in the InnoHK clusters and eight State Key Laboratories in life and health disciplines will form the basis of this new venture, bringing together top-notch research teams and focusing efforts on R&D work as well as global research collaboration in the field of life and health sciences. To follow through on this initiative, the Government Budget this year has earmarked another $10 billion for further promoting life and health technology development, ranging from hardware, research talents and clinical trials to data application.
Second, with land and infrastructure development equally important to a vibrant I&T ecosystem, and in an economy like Hong Kong where the cost of land and premises is prohibitively expensive, I announced last October that in the Northern Metropolis, which will guide Hong Kong's visionary development in the next decade or so, land will be reserved for technology-driven manufacturing under the banner of re-industrialisation. A San Tin Technopole comprising the Hong Kong-Shenzhen I&T Park and the areas nearby, together with the Shenzhen I&T Zone, will form a cross-boundary I&T co-operation zone of about 540 hectares. This could enable Hong Kong and Shenzhen to pool local and non-local talents, enterprises and resources for greater synergy in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development from a broader perspective. To lose no time in facilitating high-tech smart production in order to enrich Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem, we are developing specially designated space and facilities in our industrial estates as well as the recently opened Advanced Manufacturing Centre and a Microelectronics Centre to be completed next year. Suitable land is also being identified for building another advanced manufacturing centre to accommodate more set-ups of high value-added and technology-intensive manufacturing processes and production lines in Hong Kong.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is much to anticipate in not only the InnoHK research clusters, but also the overall development of Hong Kong's I&T industry. I wish you every success in your research and development efforts, scaling new heights in the many years to come and joining hands with the Government to develop Hong Kong into an international I&T centre. Thank you very much.
Ends/Wednesday, May 25, 2022
Issued at HKT 18:49
Issued at HKT 18:49
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