The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, and Vice Minister of Science and Technology Professor Huang Wei co-chaired the 14th meeting of the Mainland/Hong Kong Science and Technology Co-operation Committee held in Shenzhen today (December 3).

     Mr Yang said at the meeting that this year saw tremendous breakthroughs in the development and exchange of scientific research between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Since late 2018, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province, and the Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality have opened their research and development (R&D) programmes to designated universities and scientific research institutions in Hong Kong for application. Funds have been approved for local universities to conduct various R&D projects or set up laboratory. Some of the approved funds have been successfully remitted across the boundary. In April this year, MOST and the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) also launched the Mainland-Hong Kong Joint Funding Scheme to encourage scientific research co-operation between Hong Kong and different Mainland provinces. In addition, after close liaison between the HKSAR Government and MOST, the Central Government announced, after the third plenary meeting of the Leading Group for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area held last month, that education institutions, hospitals and branches on the Mainland established by Hong Kong's universities and scientific research institutions, upon meeting specific requirements, would be allowed to lodge applications for exporting human genetic resources to Hong Kong independently under a trial scheme.

     Looking ahead, Mr Yang stressed that Hong Kong would continue to enhance its scientific research development and exchanges with the Mainland, promote Guangdong/Hong Kong and Shenzhen/Hong Kong technology co-operation, and implement more measures to facilitate the free flow of key elements of scientific research. The HKSAR Government would also actively promote local innovation and technology development, including pressing ahead with the establishment of two InnoHK research clusters at the Hong Kong Science Park and spearheading the development of the Lok Ma Chau Loop into the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park.

     Mainland members attending the meeting included representatives from MOST, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the China Association for Science and Technology, the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government, the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province and the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau.

     The Hong Kong delegation comprised representatives from the Innovation and Technology Bureau, the ITC, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, the Research Grants Council, the City University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Baptist University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, the Hong Kong Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Centre, the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, and Nano and Advanced Materials Institute Limited.