Following is a question by Dr the Hon Johnny Ng and a reply by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, in the Legislative Council today (October 28):

Question: 

     Some members of innovation and technology (I&T) start-ups have relayed to me that there is a lack of avenues in Hong Kong for "early adoption" (i.e. to take the lead in trying out the products which are newly-launched without popularity) of the products developed by these start-ups. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the funding projects implemented by the Government and statutory bodies to support "early adoption" of products of local I&T enterprises in the past three years, together with a list of the funding amounts, funding periods and actual outcomes of such projects;

(2) whether it will study introducing policy initiatives to step up support for "early adoption" of products of start-ups, and further relax the application restrictions under the relevant funding schemes, such as providing a green lane or optimising the weighted scoring system for local start-ups, and enabling the Government to take the lead to give priority to local start-ups when conducting tender exercises for certain government projects, so as to encourage public and private organisations to "early adopt" local I&T products and accelerate the commercialisation of research and development outcomes; and

(3) to assist start-ups in exploring overseas development and expanding their markets, whether the Government will maintain closer liaison with the governments of other Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to promote policy alignment in terms of cross-boundary "early adoption" of products of start-ups, thereby accelerating the integration of Hong Kong's I&T outcomes into the enormous GBA market?

Reply:

President,

     Having consulted relevant policy bureaux/departments, our consolidated reply to Dr the Hon Johnny Ng's question is as follows:

     Enterprises are crucial entities in driving the deep integration of technological innovation with industrial innovation, and in accelerating the development of new quality productive forces. The First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026 - 2030) (Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan) proposes that we will establish a new system and new paradigm for the integrated development of technological and industry innovation after 2030, where enterprises will be the key players. Specifically, the Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan places a strong emphasis on enhancing the institutional framework for innovation and technology (I&T) development, proposing that we will reinforce the role of enterprises as innovation entities and promote in-depth industry-academia-research integration. Guided by the development directions and strategies outlined in Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, the Government is stepping up our efforts to encourage enterprises to link the key segments of the innovation chain from research and development (R&D) and testing to application and hitting the market, so as to expedite transformation of R&D outcomes as well as industrialised production. 

(1) The Government has been actively introducing and adopting I&T products and services from local start-ups to play a leading role. The key measures in recent years are as follows: 

(i) The Innovation and Technology Commission provides funding support under the Public Sector Trial Scheme of the Innovation and Technology Fund to eligible local companies/organisations for the production of prototypes or samples, and conducting of trials of R&D outcomes in the public sector. Over the past three years, the Scheme has funded more than 110 trial projects, with a total amount exceeding $270 million; 

(ii) The Smart Government Innovation Lab (Smart Lab) under the Digital Policy Office actively promotes collaboration between government departments and the industry by matching departments' needs with suitable I&T solutions and arranging proof-of-concept trials. Over the past three years, the Smart Lab has matched about 60 business needs of more than 30 government departments with solutions covering various I&T areas. It has also arranged proof-of-concept trials for over 30 promising technology solutions, some of which have subsequently been taken forward for pilot application; and

(iii) The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department gathers technology needs from the Government and industry, and match them with innovative solutions from start-ups and academic institutions through the E&M InnoPortal. Over the past three years, the portal has collected over 110 I&T wishes, more than 760 I&T solutions, and successfully matched over 110 I&T projects. The technologies involved include AI, the Internet of Things, drones, robotics and renewable energy.

     Streamlining the critical links for the commercialisation of R&D outcomes and market entry also requires the joint efforts of all stakeholders in the I&T industry. Hong Kong's three major I&T parks (namely the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone and Cyberport), leveraging their experience in start-up incubation and their investment/business networks, help start-ups connect with the industry to promote technology transfer and the commercialisation of R&D outcomes. The three I&T parks also actively engage with the industry to introduce clients to park companies, facilitating "early adoption".

(2) On government procurement, according to the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, as an international city and one of the signatories to the Agreement on Government Procurement of the World Trade Organization, Hong Kong is committed to ensuring that local and non-local suppliers and contractors, regardless of their scale, can participate in bidding through fair, open and competitive procedures, so as to obtain goods and services at the best value for money. In fact, the Government facilitates participation of local enterprises in government procurement. For non-works procurement, procuring departments would generally not set the bidders' experience as an essential requirement in order to encourage competition and minimise entry barriers. If the procuring department adopts a marking scheme, the technical weighting generally amounts to 50 per cent to 70 per cent, and at least 15 per cent marks of technical/execution plan is reserved for assessing pro-innovation proposals that adopt technologies to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and productivity of the service outcome.

(3) To help Hong Kong's start-ups scale up their market and integrate into the country's overall development, the Government is maintaining close contact with the governments and relevant bodies of Chinese Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area). The Government also organises major I&T events every year, such as InnoEx, the flagship event of the Business of Innovation and Technology Week. Through InnoEx, industry representatives and enterprises from around the world (including the Greater Bay Area) are invited to visit Hong Kong to learn about the innovative technologies and application outcomes of local I&T enterprises (including start-ups), and to participate in business matching and exchange activities, thereby helping Hong Kong I&T enterprises explore opportunities in overseas and Chinese Mainland markets. 

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan, while closely following the directions set out in Hong Kong's First Five-Year Plan, in a bid to fully leverage our role as a "pioneer" and "facilitator" and provide the strongest policy support for the commercialisation of local R&D outcomes.

Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 13:15

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