Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor speaks at the award presentation ceremony for the first City I&T Grand Challenge Grand Pitch on Oct 16, 2021. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
HONG KONG - Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said Saturday that she is upbeat about Hong Kong's future as a global center of innovation and technology, which will complement Hong Kong's position as an international financial center.
The HKSAR government has pushed forward the I&T development in the past four years and so far has invested more than HK$130 billion (about $16.7 billion) to implement various projects, Lam said at the award presentation ceremony of Hong Kong's first City I&T Grand Challenge contest.
The innovation and technology development in Hong Kong is also highly recognized and supported by the central government, with the country's 14th Five-Year Plan clearly supporting Hong Kong to develop as an international I&T hub, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said
In terms of policy support, the 2021 Policy Address announced further measures which included providing additional 150 hectares of land in the Northern Metropolis plan for I&T use, among other.
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The I&T development in Hong Kong is also highly recognized and supported by the central government, with the country's 14th Five-Year Plan clearly supporting Hong Kong to develop as an international I&T hub, Lam said.
Under the theme of "Innovating for Hong Kong's New Normal," the City I&T Grand Challenge invited different sectors of the community to develop I&T solutions focusing on two topics, namely "environmental sustainability" and "social connectivity."
The competition was divided into four categories, including primary school, secondary school, university/tertiary institute, and open group. The event received more than 740 submissions from over 1,250 contestants on an individual or team basis.
