(To watch the 2021 Policy Address speech with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government has made bold decisions to develop a more comprehensive innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem to enable reindustrialisation to take root in Hong Kong and complement I&T development in Shenzhen and the Greater Bay Area.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam made the statement today when delivering her Policy Address.

She said: “The current-term Government has made unprecedented strides to promote I&T development by investing more than $130 billion over four years.

“Hong Kong’s I&T industry is flourishing at the moment, and the interaction among the Government, industry, academia and research sectors has also been strengthened significantly.”

Part of the plans for developing Hong Kong into an international I&T hub are outlined in the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy.

The proposed upgrading of the Hung Shui Kiu/Ha Tsuen as the New Territories North Modern Services Centre will be expanded to cover Lau Fau Shan.

The Government will consider plans to build landmark I&T facilities with a scale comparable to Cyberport.

The Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park and the areas around Lok Ma Chau/San Tin will form the San Tin Technopole, where land for I&T-related uses is estimated to be about 240 hectares. 

This, together with the Shenzhen I&T zone, will form the Shenzhen-Hong Kong I&T Co-operation Zone of approximately 540 hectares.

It will combine the strengths of both cities and become an essential propeller for the development of an international I&T hub in the bay area.

Healthtech hub mooted

Mrs Lam pointed out that with the emphasis of the 14th Five-Year Plan on frontier fields such as life and health disciplines, she believes Hong Kong should leverage it strengths in life and health sciences to meet the country’s needs.

“We have a solid foundation in research and a good number of world-renowned experts, whose achievement have been widely acclaimed.

“Our clinical trial centres are recognised by the National Medical Products Administration, and their data which meet the relevant clinical trial standards are also widely recognised by relevant bodies in the US and the European Union.”

Mrs Lam also proposed the setting up of an InnoLife Healthtech Hub in the Lok Ma Chau Loop.

To sustain the good momentum of I&T, she noted that the Government is keen to develop a more comprehensive I&T ecosystem.

She suggested the idea of immediately exploring the expansion of the Science Park’s capacity.

Additionally, the Government will revive the Ma Liu Shui reclamation project. Together with land to be vacated by the relocation of the Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works to caverns, the project will provide 88 hectares of land.

Better transport link

Rather than its originally suggested residential use, Mrs Lam said the newly provided land should mainly be used for I&T expansion to strengthen the development of the Eastern Corridor with I&T as a major economic function. 

The Government planned to improve the public transport service connection in the area, and will invite the Mass Transit Railway Corporation to consider building a new Science Park/Pak Shek Kok Station of the East Rail Line.

For the universities’ research work, Mrs Lam proposed to reserve a four-hectare site in Pok Fu Lam for the University of Hong Kong to construct facilities for deep technology research.

The Government will also support the Chinese University’s use of a 2.5-hectare site to build research facilities and expand its medical centre.