Hong Kong lawmaker calls for more early adoption pathways for tech startups
A Hong Kong legislator has urged the government to create more avenues for technology startups to have their products adopted early. The government defended existing schemes, including a trial programme that funded over 110 projects worth more than HK$270 million in three years.
A Hong Kong legislator has pressed the government to create more pathways for technology startups to secure early adopters for their products, warning that a lack of such opportunities hinders commercialisation of research.
In a legislative council question on 28 October, lawmaker Johnny Ng asked what funding schemes the government and statutory bodies had provided over the past three years to support early adoption of local tech products, requesting details on amounts, duration and outcomes. He also asked whether the government would consider policy measures to boost early adoption, such as giving local startups priority in government tenders, and whether it would strengthen cross-border policy coordination with mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area to help startups expand.
Responding for the government, the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau said authorities had been actively introducing and applying products from local startups. The Innovation and Technology Commission’s Public Sector Trial Scheme funded more than 110 trial projects worth over HK$270 million in the past three years, it said. The Smart Government Innovation Lab under the Digital Policy Office matched solutions for about 60 business needs across over 30 government departments and arranged proof-of-concept trials for more than 30 potential tech solutions, some of which were eventually adopted for pilot use. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department’s online platform collected over 110 tech wishes and more than 760 tech proposals, successfully matching over 110 projects involving artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, drones, robotics and renewable energy.
The three major science parks — the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the Hong Kong Park Company in the Loop and Cyberport — also help startups connect with industry and facilitate early adoption through their investment and business networks, the bureau added.
On procurement, the bureau said Hong Kong, as a member of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement, must ensure fair and open bidding procedures for both local and foreign suppliers. For non-engineering purchases, procuring departments generally do not list bidders’ experience as a mandatory requirement to encourage competition. When a scoring system is used, technical scores typically account for 50 to 70 per cent of the total, with at least 15 per cent reserved for evaluating innovative proposals that adopt technology to improve service efficiency, effectiveness and productivity.
To help startups expand into the mainland market, the government said it maintains close contact with authorities in Greater Bay Area cities and organises annual tech events such as the Hong Kong International Tech Fair (InnoEX) to facilitate business matching and exchanges.