Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Speech by SITI at HKU Innovation Week 2026 (English only)
Following the release of Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan and the 2026 Policy Address last month, the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)’s goal is clear: Hong Kong will basically have established an international I&T (innovation and technology) centre based in the Greater Bay Area, serving the entire country and being connected to the world after 2030. This brings me to the theme of this year’s event – “The Innovation Reef: Where Ideas Breed and Thrive.” A healthy innovation ecosystem, like a reef, relies on different parties performing different but complementary roles. Our universities play an indispensable role in advancing knowledge, nurturing talents, and transforming research into real-world impact. Talents aside, we need to drive the synergistic development among the Government, industries, academia, research and investment sectors.
Looking ahead, the Loop Academy One in the Hong Kong Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park will be the flagship project for launching the Northern Metropolis University Town, bringing together the frontier research capabilities of leading local and non-local universities and institutions, including InnoHK and other new initiatives. It will focus on the development of medicine, life and health technology, artificial intelligence, robotics and microelectronics, with an aim to linking up academic research with real-life application scenarios and industrial supply chains – both physically and organically.
I am also glad to see that HKU is already participating in this wider development – the University serves as the operator of the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trials Institute in the Loop Hong Kong Park to promote medical innovation and clinical trial development. I encourage HKU to continue anchoring this ecosystem, collaborating closely with industry leaders and the Greater Bay Area’s massive manufacturing base. Issued at HKT 11:35
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