Speech by CE at Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet
Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet today (January 22):
Professor Dennis Lo (President of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences), members of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences and the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. It is an honour to join you tonight, in celebration of the landmark 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences.
Over the past decade, the Academy has played a pivotal role in bringing together leading scientists, locally and internationally. No less important, it has nurtured promising young science and technology talent, inspiring scientific and technological excellence in Hong Kong. The Academy has also been the Government's close partner in developing Hong Kong's innovation and technology (I&T) sector.
I&T is shaping the future of our generation and our world. And the Government is committed to ensuring Hong Kong's rise as an international I&T centre.
I'm glad to tell you that we're making notable progress. To quote a few figures, our gross expenditure on research and development in 2024 was more than double that of 2014, ten years ago, rising from 16billion Hong Kong Dollars in 2014 to about 36 billion Hong Kong Dollars in 2024. The number of employees in the I&T sector has also surged 70 per cent, from 35 000 to about 59 000, over the same period.
During that time, we witnessed the birth of 20 unicorn companies in Hong Kong. At last count, we are home to a thriving community of some 4 700 start-ups. And I have confidence that these figures will be on the rise, as we continue to attract quality I&T talent, companies and start-ups to Hong Kong.
And we're certainly not slowing down. Among many other initiatives, we launched the 3 billion Hong Kong Dollars Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme last September. The funding will help our universities attract leading scientists and researchers to Hong Kong.
Last year, for the first time, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranked first, number one, among the world's top 100 innovation clusters, in the annual Global Innovation Index.
Also last year, Hong Kong ranked fourth, globally, in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking published by the International Institute for Management Development. That's up three places from the previous year. In the areas of "technological framework" and "adaptive attitudes", we came first globally.
More than topping international rankings, our development into an international I&T centre tops the HKSAR Government's policy agenda. In this, we enjoy the firm support of the National 14th Five-Year Plan, as well as the Recommendations for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development.
We are, let me add, expediting development across the entire I&T spectrum, which include:
- consolidating our upstream strengths in basic research;
- promoting the midstream transformation and commercialisation of research outcomes; and
- encouraging downstream industry development.
This wide-ranging, far-reaching approach is opening up fresh opportunities, particularly under our new South-North dual engine, which pairs finance in the south and I&T in the north. Hong Kong Park in the Loop and San Tin Technopole, both located in our fast-growing Northern Metropolis, are the strategy's central pillars.
Together, they will drive emerging technology industries in Hong Kong, and serve as a critical centre for developing new quality productive forces.
Hong Kong Park in the Loop officially opened last month. That marked a milestone in the development of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone, an area that straddles our boundary with Shenzhen.
The 210 hectares of new I&T land in the San Tin area is a natural extension of the Loop. And our publication, last November, of the conceptual outline of San Tin Technopole's development plan for the I&T industry, sets a clear strategy for San Tin Technopole.
The San Tin area's I&T sites are expected to integrate with the industry supply chains of cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. And the land will accommodate the varying scales and technology fields of their companies.
We expect it will also take up the transformation and industrialisation of Hong Kong Park's research outcomes. That will certainly drive economic growth, creating high-quality employment opportunities and industrial upgrading.
Together, the new I&T land surrounding San Tin and Hong Kong Park will form a crucial node for the integrated emergence of upstream, midstream and downstream I&T industries. They will help propel Hong Kong's development as an I&T powerhouse, radiating with influence that transcends boundaries.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is just the beginning. Thanks to the unwavering support of our country, the Northern Metropolis' fast-track development, and the continuing contributions of key partners such as the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences, I am confident that Hong Kong's science and I&T sectors will be at the heart of our city's flourishing future.
My thanks, once again, to the Academy of Sciences for its dedication, perseverance and countless contributions over its first eventful decade. I look forward to the Academy's next 10 years of scientific promise and great progress.
Ladies and gentlemen, I wish you all a very memorable evening and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Thank you.
The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Speech by CE at Hong Kong Academy of Sciences 10th Anniversary Celebration Banquet Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
