OASES Team Explores Health Tech Opportunities in Shanghai to Position Hong Kong as Innovation Hub

Executive Director of OASES visits Shanghai to foster I&T exchanges and encourage strategic enterprises' expansion in Hong Kong

The Executive Director of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), Mr Bryan Peng, and his team conducted a duty visit to Shanghai from November 17 to 18. During the visit, the OASES team engaged in in-depth discussions with leading and representative companies in the life and health technology sector. Their focus was on exploring diverse business development opportunities in Hong Kong and promoting the establishment of Hong Kong as a hub for health and medical innovation.

The Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address clearly emphasises the importance of industry development and reform. Regarding the life and health technology industry, a key highlight is the establishment of the Hong Kong Centre for Medical Products Regulation by the end of 2026. Complementing this initiative is the new drug approval mechanism ("1+" mechanism) which facilitates pharmaceutical companies in accelerating the market launch of innovative drugs. Such policies provide strong support for companies to expand their businesses in Hong Kong and demonstrate the Government's commitment to becoming an international hub for health and medical innovation.

During the visit, Mr Peng and his team visited a pharmaceutical company ranked among the top ten in China's pharmaceutical industry. The company has established 6 R&D centres worldwide and 11 manufacturing sites. In discussions with the company's management, they shared a series of policies aimed at promoting Hong Kong as an international hub for health and medical innovation, including the establishment of the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute which supports both local and international pharmaceutical research institutions and co-ordinates multi-centre clinical trials with cross-border research transformation, ensuring that these trials meet both national and international standards. The company's management recognised Hong Kong's unique advantages, including its high level of internationalisation and expertise in medical and research fields. They expressed their commitment to closely collaborate with OASES, actively utilising Hong Kong as a platform to advance their international innovation and R&D initiatives.

Subsequently, the team met with the management of a pharmaceutical company ranked among the top 50 globally and listed in Hong Kong. The company operates the largest research and production base for anti-tumour and surgical drugs in Chinese Mainland and is recognised as a highly innovative large-scale pharmaceutical company. The management expressed that the "1+" mechanism provides essential policy support for their products entering the Hong Kong market and affirmed the Government's investment and determination in the innovation and technology sector. Both parties agreed that Hong Kong, with its abundant high-end talent and international network, has become an important bridgehead for companies looking to expand globally. They also reached a consensus on advancing co-operation, including the establishment of overseas headquarter, research centre, corporate treasury centre, and drug registrations in Hong Kong.

The team also visited the Shanghai branch of an international pharmaceutical multinational cooperation, where the OASES team was invited to participate in their "Expert Talk" event, engaging with teams and research management experts from various regions worldwide. During the event, Mr Peng and the Chief Manager (Life and Health Technology) of the OASES,Dr Maggie Lo,provided a detailed introduction on Hong Kong's innovation and technology policies and dedicated support schemes in the life and health technology sector. This presentation generated widespread interest among the participating experts and company representatives. The OASES team will provide necessary support to relevant projects aimed at being implemented in Hong Kong.

Mr Peng remarked that the visit was highly fruitful. Through in-depth communication with industry leaders and representative companies, they effectively helped the companies gain a better understanding of Hong Kong's latest policies and provided critical insights for those looking to expand their global operations by leveraging Hong Kong's advantages as an innovation and technology hub. He emphasised that OASES is committed to attracting top international and Chinese Mainland pharmaceutical companies to establish operations in Hong Kong, in line with the key priorities outlined in the Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address. Looking ahead, OASES will continue to expand its efforts and assist leading innovation and technology enterprises worldwide to establish in Hong Kong, further promoting the long-term development of the innovation and technology industry in Hong Kong.

Executive Director of OASES visits Shanghai to foster I&T exchanges and encourage strategic enterprises' expansion in Hong Kong Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Executive Director of OASES visits Shanghai to foster I&T exchanges and encourage strategic enterprises' expansion in Hong Kong Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Executive Director of OASES visits Shanghai to foster I&T exchanges and encourage strategic enterprises' expansion in Hong Kong Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Executive Director of OASES visits Shanghai to foster I&T exchanges and encourage strategic enterprises' expansion in Hong Kong Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Application for provisional clinic licences to close on April 13

The Department of Health (DH) today (April 2) reminded clinic operators that the deadline for applying for provisional clinic licences under the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Cap. 633) (the Ordinance) is April 13, 2026. Eligible operators of medical and dental clinics who wish to apply for a provisional clinic licence should submit their applications to the DH as soon as possible.

Transitional arrangements for provisional licences

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The DH has been accepting applications for clinic licences (including provisional licences) and letters of exemption for small practice clinics (SPCs) under the Ordinance since October 13, 2025. The DH has also launched the "e-Licensing" System to facilitate application submission by clinic operators.

As a transitional arrangement under the Ordinance, clinics already in operation on or before November 30, 2018 (i.e. the gazettal date of the Ordinance), may be granted a provisional licence by the DH depending on the circumstances if their operators submit an application for a clinic licence on or before April 13, 2026. This allows the clinics to continue operations until a full licence is issued and enables operators to make necessary modifications to their clinics to comply with licensing requirements, such as modification of the accommodation layout. A provisional licence will expire on the date specified by the Secretary for Health for the expiry of provisions pertaining to provisional licences; upon issuance of a full licence to the licensee; or upon withdrawal or rejection of the full licence application.

Upon the lapse of application deadline for provisional clinic licences on April 13, 2026, all clinic operators must apply for a full licence, regardless of whether the clinic qualifies for transitional arrangements.

Clinic operators should apply for clinic licences/letters of exemption as soon as possible; the process is convenient and efficient

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The DH urged all clinic operators who have not yet applied for a clinic licence/letter of exemption to submit their applications through the DH's "e-Licensing" System as soon as possible to ensure they obtain a licence or exemption before the penalties for operating an unlicensed clinic under the Ordinance take effect. Clinics that meet the definition of an SPC (i.e. operated by no more than five registered medical practitioners and/or registered dentists and meeting specific requirements under the Ordinance) may apply for a letter of exemption. The Government will firm up and announce the effective date of the relevant penalties in due course.

The DH stressed that the application process for clinic licences/letters of exemption is convenient and efficient. By using the "e-Licensing" System, the operators can complete the entire process online with digital signatures submitted via "iAM Smart+", without the need to submit the documents in person. Applicants can also check their application status in real time, and download the electronic licences or letters of exemption issued by the DH through the system.

The DH will continue to proactively contact clinic operators to learn about their progress in preparing licence or exemption applications, and urge them to submit the applications as soon as possible. At the same time, the DH will maintain close liaison with licence applicants, and conduct document verifications and on-site inspections to ensure that their clinics comply with the requirements under the Ordinance and the Code of Practice, with the aim of issuing licences as soon as possible. As of March 30, 2026, the DH has received 546 clinic licence applications (including 193 provisional licence applications) and 2 712 applications for letters of exemption for SPC. The DH has issued 26 clinic licences, 19 provisional licences and over 2 600 letters of exemption.

The DH will also continue to conduct online briefing sessions to explain the Ordinance and the application requirements for clinic licences/letters of exemption for various stakeholders including clinic and SPC operators as well as doctors. For details on the briefing sessions and application arrangements for clinic licences/letters of exemption, please visit thewebsiteof the Office for Regulation of Private Healthcare Facilities (ORPHF) of the DH.

Make use of "Licence Scanner" to easily identify licensed/exempted clinics

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At present, all licensed private hospitals and licensed day procedure centres, as well as clinics holding valid licences or letters of exemption are required to display their licence/letter of exemption featuring a QR code in a conspicuous location on their premises. Members of the public may use the "Licence Scanner" on the eHealth mobile application to scan the QR code and verify the validity of the licence or letter of exemption.

Members of the public may also visit the ORPHF website to access the Private Healthcare Facilities Register in order to identify licensed/exempted private healthcare facilities.

Source: AI-found images