The Zhitong Finance App learned that Professor Sun Dong, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of Hong Kong, attended the “2026 Technology+New Quality Productivity Summit” of the Hong Kong Chinese Friendship Association today (October 13), interpreted the “Hong Kong First Five-Year Plan” innovation and technology development plan, and gave a schedule for Hong Kong to build an international innovation and technology center. The goal is to establish an international innovation and technology center in the Greater Bay Area after 2030, covering the whole country and connecting the world.
The plan sets two core quantitative targets: striving for the total cost of local innovation activities to reach 3% of GDP in 2030 (1.63% in 2024); the value added of manufacturing and new industries will increase to 5.5% of GDP after five years (3.8% in 2024). The two goals require annual growth of 10% or more, which is very challenging.
In terms of the I&T system layout, Hong Kong will construct a new pattern of “three major innovation and technology parks and five major R&D institutions”. The three major parks include the Hetao Hong Kong Park, Cyberport, and Science Park, forming a north-central-south layout; the five major R&D institutions cover the Productivity Promotion Council, the Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, and the newly established three research institutes for microelectronics, artificial intelligence, and life and health. At the same time, make good use of 15 national key laboratories and 38 InnoHK R&D center platforms, target national strategic science and technology fields such as aerospace and quantum, promote the industrialization of scientific research results through the “Industry-University-Research 1+ Plan”, etc., and encourage central enterprises and others to set up R&D and achievement transformation platforms in Hong Kong to open up the entire R&D, testing, and application chain.
In the northern metropolitan area, it is planned to build three university towns, Xintian, Hung Shui Qiao, and Daguling, using the “five elements in one city” model. As the flagship project, Hetao Science and Research Building will introduce the United Nations Industrial Development Organization's first global advanced manufacturing excellence center in Asia Pacific; Xintian Science and Technology City will undertake the implementation of scientific research results, focus on developing new materials for life and health, AI, robotics, microelectronics, and new energy, and link with the Greater Bay Area industrial chain to achieve upstream and downstream integration of R&D, pilot testing, and mass production.
In terms of new industrialization, Hong Kong is advancing in four directions: upgrading traditional industries, developing strategic emerging industries, laying out future industries, and expanding the productive service industry. Currently, the “New Industrialization Funding Program” has supported more than 130 intelligent production lines; the first batch of 8 enterprises in the “New Industrial Elite Enterprise Cultivation Program” has been announced. The Hong Kong Government will release the “Hong Kong New Industrialization Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan” during the year to promote the establishment of the first national manufacturing innovation center in Hong Kong and continue to implement the “Artificial Intelligence +” campaign to improve the AI industry ecosystem. Sun Dong said that the government will insist on combining a promising government with an effective market to implement the planned vision into development results.