Increased development of the innovation and technology industry, as well as the cultivation and attraction of talents, will add impetus to Hong Kong’s economy, and the special administrative region government will strive to promote robust growth of the I&T ecosystem, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday.
He made the remarks in his weekly blog following a summer talent event organized by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation to attract young talents to the local I&T industry.
Chan said he had met with local and overseas college students from Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Chinese mainland who took part in the internship program at the event’s closing ceremony last week. One-fifth of them were studying for master or doctoral degrees, with many of them aspiring to be entrepreneurs.
The students agreed the SAR has multiple advantages, including strong scientific research capabilities, a variety of talents, free flow of capital, as well as an internationalized, free and open environment.
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Innovation momentum in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong’s strategic position in the process also impressed them.
“The students believe Hong Kong has very strong competitiveness and potential in I&T, and these factors make them consider further developing their careers in the city,” Chan said.
The finance chief said the HKSAR government has strategically deployed resources to facilitate technological innovation, strengthened the cultivation of talents, and supported the holding of different types of I&T-themed events in recent years, with the aim of promoting robust growth of an I&T ecosystem.
The government has poured substantial resources into building a vibrant I&T ecosystem by focusing on enhancing I&T infrastructure, research capacity and talent. Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport are two flagship platforms that nurture innovative startups and entrepreneurs.
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By the end of last year, the number of past and current incubates of both platforms had reached almost 4,500 – up more than 60 percent over the past five years. Sixteen of the startups have been publicly listed, nine have become unicorns, and about HK$130 billion has been raised, while more than 1,700 local and non-local awards have been won.
Besides the summer internship program, HKSTP is promoting exchanges among local and overseas talents by holding I&T fairs and providing thousands of jobs. It has been attracting overseas talent to Hong Kong since last year.
“Hong Kong is making every effort to promote economic development. We’ll make full use of the advantages in different aspects to expand our talent pool domestically and internationally and promote exchanges and cooperation in I&T and other fields. Besides adding momentum to Hong Kong’s development, we also hope to tell the good story of Hong Kong through concrete cooperation and exchanges,” Chan said.
