The Forum on Mainland-Hong Kong Cooperation in Innovation and Technology organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government on May 15 was attended by over 100 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), as well as representatives of the HKSAR Government and the technology sector. The forum focuses on the new opportunities which will be brought about by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and Ministry of Finance science and technology funding, for application by Hong Kong higher education and research institutions.

The forum aims at briefing research experts at the earliest opportunity on the recently announced guidelines of the Central Government to support innovation and technology (I&T) development in Hong Kong and Macao. Under the guidelines, universities and research institutions in the SARs of Hong Kong and Macao can now bid for funding to undertake central fiscal science and technology projects, on the basis of merit and competition. The new arrangements will realise cross-boundary remittance of project funding, which the local technology sector has long been calling for.

Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive, said, "Local research will be supported by the science and technology funding of the Central Government, fostering technological co-operation between Hong Kong and the Mainland and giving a full play to the unique advantages in technology of the two places. It lays a solid foundation for the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in the Lok Ma Chau Loop. Furthermore, the policy paves the way for building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area into an international I&T hub and provides an added impetus for the current-term Government in spurring I&T development."

Mr. Nicolas Yang, Secretary for Innovation and Technology, also spoke at the forum, “It is believed that China and Hong Kong will see more such I&T collaborations, and with the great support provided by the Central Government, more policies will be released, bringing unprecedented opportunities for local universities, innovation organisations and the technology industry.”

Various speakers had in-depth discussions on the new policy in the panel discussion hosted by Prof Timothy Tong, President of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, including:

• Prof C C Chan (Academician of the CAE)
• Prof Nancy Ip (Member of the CAS and Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies and the Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
• Prof Pei Duanqing (Director General of the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, CAS)
• Prof Tang Xiaoou (Co-Founder of SenseTime Group Limited)
• Mr Wu Xueti (Deputy Director General of the Department of Resource Allocation and Management, MOST)