Paul Chan: Talent key to Hong Kong tech success as research goes global
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said talent is the foundation of innovation, as Lingnan University won eight gold medals at Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival. Local startups expanded overseas, while 142 strategic enterprises are expected to bring HK$84 billion in investment.
Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po has said talent is the foundation of innovation and technology, noting that building an international innovation centre requires both attracting enterprise investment and nurturing local research capabilities.
Writing in his blog, Chan pointed out that Lingnan University won awards across all 14 of its entries at the Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival in August, securing eight gold medals. The university became the local higher education institution with the highest number of awards and gold medals for two consecutive years.
Chan highlighted that products and technologies from several local tech startups—ranging from electric vehicle charging solutions and building cooling coatings to coral restoration reef tiles and construction site battery energy storage systems—have expanded into multiple overseas markets. He said this demonstrates that Hong Kong's research strengths and innovative ideas are successfully translating into practical benefits and commercial opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises has welcomed its seventh batch of 18 strategic enterprises, with half originating from outside mainland China. Together with previous batches, a cumulative total of 142 strategic enterprises have established or expanded their operations in Hong Kong, which is expected to bring in approximately HK$84 billion in investment over the coming years.
Chan added that these corporate investments are steadily materialising on the ground. The actual investments and employment numbers for the first six batches both significantly outpaced expectations, exceeding their initial milestone targets by 30 per cent and 34 per cent respectively.