Speech by SITI at Global University Presidents and Leaders Summit 2026 (English only) (with photo)
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Professor Priscilla Leung (Founding President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Association for External Friendship), Professor Yao (Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning of the Lingnan University, Professor Xin Yao), Professor Schleiff (President of the Goethe University Frankfurt, Professor Dr Enrico Schleiff), Professor Vasdekis (Rector of the Athens University of Economics and Business, Professor Vassilis Vasdekis), Professor Ren (Vice-President for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Education of the Communication University of China, Professor Ren Meng-shan), Professor Sharma (Associate Professor in Legal and Dispute Studies of the RMIT University and Associate Director of the Hong Kong WTO Research Institute, Dr Rajesh Sharma), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you today at the Global University Presidents and Leaders Summit 2026. To those joining us from abroad, a very warm welcome to Hong Kong and I wish you a pleasant stay in our city.
We are all living in the era of big data. Advances in big data, artificial intelligence (AI), computing capabilities are transforming not only how we conduct research and develop new technologies, but also the knowledge and skills required of our future generations. Universities thus have an increasingly important role to play. Beyond advancing knowledge and nurturing talent, they provide the fertile soil where young researchers can explore new frontiers, and scientific discoveries can be translated into practical applications.
Hong Kong's vision is clear - to develop into an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre that brings together research excellence, global talent and industry opportunities. To this end, we are leveraging the "dual base" advantage of the State Key Laboratories in Hong Kong and the InnoHK research clusters. Our State Key Laboratories strengthen Hong Kong's links with the national research system and provide strong fundamental research support, while InnoHK has successfully collaborated with more than 30 world-renowned universities and research institutes from 15 different economies, pooling together around 3 000 researchers locally and worldwide.
A notable example is AIR@InnoHK, our dedicated research cluster for AI and robotics. Its researches span big data analytics, machine learning to robotics. For instance, the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Centre is developing locally trained AI foundation models, and the Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Centre is bringing together engineers, clinicians and researchers from local and overseas institutions to develop robotic technologies for medical diagnosis and treatment. In addition to AIR@InnoHK, our research clusters in health technologies, sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials further broaden the opportunities for interdisciplinary research and collaboration.
Research capabilities aside, nurturing I&T talent remains the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) Government's long-term priority. As mentioned in Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, we will better support the development of technology talent, particularly the young generation, and accelerate the development of a strategic technology talent pool. We have launched the STEM Internship Scheme to subsidise short-term internships so that university students could gain first-hand experience from the I&T industry, and cultivate their early interest in pursuing a career in I&T after graduation. Meanwhile, our I&T parks, such as the Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport, also support talent through various internship, training and entrepreneurship programmes. For example, the Global Internship Programme under the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation provides overseas young talent with opportunities to connect with tech professionals and gain exposure to the largest tech ecosystem in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.
In parallel, we are actively attracting world-class talent to come to Hong Kong. The Government's HK$3 billion Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme supports eight local universities in recruiting top-notch international researchers to undertake basic research in frontier technologies in Hong Kong. By bringing together promising talent from abroad, we hope to create more opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
Equally important is creating an environment where talent can thrive, collaborate and pursue long-term opportunities. We are therefore expanding our I&T infrastructure and strengthening the connections between research and industry. The Loop Hong Kong Park (the Loop) is designed to be a world-class I&T hub connecting the Chinese Mainland and the world to facilitate cross-boundary flow of innovative elements like data, capital, people and biosamples. In particular, the Loop Academy One in the Loop, will bring together the strength of the academia, research and industry and provide an ideal ground for research teams to test new ideas and bring their innovations into reality. As a natural extension of the Loop, the San Tin Technopole serves as Hong Kong's flagship I&T industrial base. Together, they form a comprehensive industrial ecosystem that is physically connected to the vibrant supply chains and market of the Greater Bay Area, with over 88 million population and an annual GDP (gross domestic product) of over RMB15 trillion.
During this transformative epoch, nurturing future talent requires more than academic training. It calls for closer collaboration among government, academia, industry, research institutions and investment sectors. Hong Kong is committed to playing an active role in this endeavour. By combining our research strengths, international connections and growing I&T ecosystem, we aim to build a Hong Kong that not only participates in the technological transformation of our time, but helps shape its direction - for our city, for our nation, and for the broader international community.
On this note, I wish you all a successful and inspiring Summit. Thank you.
Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:20
Issued at HKT 11:20
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