Third InnoHK Research Cluster Launch Ceremony concludes with great success

     The Innovation and Technology Commission today (September 1) held the third InnoHK research cluster launch ceremony. The new cluster, namely SEAM@InnoHK, focuses on four frontier technology fields - sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials - marking an important milestone in Hong Kong's journey to become an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub.

     Eight research centres have been approved for admission to SEAM@InnoHK, with total government funding support of around HK$2.5 billion. The centres are led by renowned local and overseas universities and research institutions, and have established collaborations with a number of top-tier universities and research institutions from the Chinese Mainland and worldwide, with a network spanning the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, etc, together forming a cross-Eurasian landscape for international I&T collaboration.

     Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, said that research of the eight research centres spans next-generation semiconductors, sustainable energy and innovative materials, space manufacturing and advanced manufacturing technologies, as well as smart energy management. The initiative echoes the call to drive high-end manufacturing, accelerate growth of strategic emerging industries and deepen green transition under the National 15th Five-Year Plan.
      
     Professor Sun said that by integrating advanced technologies into local industries, the third research cluster demonstrates the Government's unwavering commitment to promoting real-world applications of research outcomes with a view to accelerating Hong Kong's development into an international I&T centre.

     The participating institutions of the centres include many of the world's top 100 universities and research and development institutes in frontier technology fields, fully demonstrating Hong Kong's unique advantage as a "super connector" to seamlessly bridge top-tier international academic resources with local industrial needs. Currently, the eight research centres are actively preparing to set up their laboratories and will come into operations progressively to inject new momentum into Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem.
      
     Other officiating guests at the launch ceremony included the Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Mr Kevin Choi; Deputy Director-General of the Economic and Financial Department II of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Mr Lyu Feng; the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Ivan Lee; the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), Ms Cordelia Chung; and the Chief Executive Officer of the HKSTP, Mr Terry Wong, as well as representatives from collaborating universities and research institutions. The centre head/co-head of each research centre also introduced their centres' research focuses in frontier technology fields at the launch ceremony.
      
     InnoHK is a flagship international I&T initiative of the Government, aimed at bringing together world-class institutions and local universities to establish research centres in Hong Kong. The Government has invested HK$10 billion to successfully set up two major platforms: Health@InnoHK, focusing on healthcare technology, and AIR@InnoHK, focusing on AI and robotics technology. To date, they have attracted over 30 top-notch universities and research institutions from 12 economies worldwide, funded more than 30 research centres, and pooled together about 3 000 local and overseas researchers, fully demonstrating Hong Kong's pivotal role in the global I&T network. The establishment of the third cluster, SEAM@InnoHK, expands the research collaboration network to emerging areas including sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials.