John Lee Celebrates Hong Kong Academy of Sciences' 10th Anniversary and I&T Sector Growth

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

Steering Committee on District Governance convenes sixth meeting

The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, chaired the sixth meeting of the Steering Committee on District Governance today (January 22) to steer and direct various bureaux and departments in formulating strategies on issues of district concern and to follow up on the implementation progress of the 12 key district initiatives identified at the first five meetings.

Mr Chan said, "Since their establishment, the Steering Committee and the Task Force on District Governance have adhered to people-oriented principles, and have actively responded to people's livelihood concerns by formulating and implementing a series of clearly targeted, pragmatic and forward-looking policy measures to create a better community environment and enhance people's well-being. In the new year, the Steering Committee will continue to steer bureaux and departments to perform their duties with responsibility and determination, and ensure each people-oriented initiative is fully and effectively implemented."

At the meeting, the Steering Committee followed up on the work progress of 12 district issues of public concern (Note) identified at previous meetings, and provided directives to relevant bureaux and departments in a wide range of areas covering support for children and the elderly, community facilities, and environmental hygiene improvements, all aimed at enhancing people’s quality of life.

In terms of support for parents, 202 primary schools with more than 9 600 students have participated in the School-based After School Care Service Scheme (the Scheme). Participating parents generally recognised that the Scheme has helped support their employment and childcare needs. The Government will continue to encourage more schools to join the Scheme, providing better support for families in need of care services.

As regards care for the elderly, in order to promote digital inclusion, the Digital Policy Office (DPO) has launched the "Smart Silver" Digital Inclusion Programme for Elders (the Programme) since December 2024, providing funding support to 12 district organisations to set up 40 community-based help desks across all 18 districts. These help desks provide training on digital technologies and technical support for elderly people aged 60 or above, particularly singleton or doubleton elders living in old districts and public housing. From launch to December last year, the Programme has already served over 100 000 elderly people. The DPO will continue to assist elderly people in learning about and using smartphones and other digital communication technologies through the Programme, thereby helping them integrate into the community.

In terms of environmental hygiene, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) continues to carry out rodent control actions in 93 major rodent black spots, and has achieved the target of reducing the number of black spots by 60 percent before the end of 2025. The FEHD will continue the efforts to foster clean markets and improve the community environment through publicity and education, enforcement actions and enhanced daily cleaning. In regard to combating water dripping from air-conditioners in buildings, the FEHD will build on the experience gained last summer to study the application of AI image recognition technology to automatically detect dripping sources, and will strengthen collaboration with the property management sector to tackle the problem of dripping air conditioners and improve the living environment for the public.

In accordance with the overall strategies set by the Steering Committee on District Governance, the Task Force on District Governance, chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, will continue to co-ordinate bureaux and departments in taking forward the various district initiatives to raise people’s standard of living with concrete results and enhance their sense of achievement, satisfaction and security.

Note: The 12 district issues are (1) expanding after-school care services and enhancing support for parents; (2) caring for the elderly and enhancing community support; (3) fostering clean markets and mobilising the community to participate in anti-rodent work; (4) enhancing public order and combating crimes on all fronts; (5) improving pedestrian facilities and ensuring road safety; (6) enhancing the community environment and strengthening local characteristics; (7) improving the environment of public housing estates and creating comfortable homes; (8) caring for the elderly and promoting digital inclusion; (9) improving the waiting environment at public transport interchanges to enhance the travel experience of people; (10) combating water dripping from air-conditioners in buildings to improve the community environment; (11) cleaning pedestrian walkways to improve the cityscape; and (12) strengthening thematic plantings.

Steering Committee on District Governance convenes sixth meeting Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases