Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong

Over the years, Polytechnic University (PolyU) has been playing a long supporting and pioneering role in driving the innovation and technology (I&T) development in Hong Kong. I am particularly pleased to see that PolyU is furthering its journey to help shine Hong Kong as a leading I&T hub by leveraging its academic strengths and world-class research competence through various strategic measures, such as setting up the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research, joining the Jiangsu-Hong Kong-Macao University Alliance, and supporting our InnoHK initiative to develop three research centres in our two research clusters with world-renowned universities which help transform our city into a global innovation powerhouse.

With the Government's solid commitment to the I&T development, coupling with our strong capabilities in scientific research and academic excellence of our universities, Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem is flourishing and increasingly vibrant. The number of startups and venture capital investment in Hong Kong have substantially increased over the past few years, during which we have also witnessed the birth of more than a dozen unicorns. Hong Kong is now Asia's largest and the world's second largest fundraising hub for biotechnology companies.

With the unwavering support from the central government in the National 14th Five-Year Plan, and the encouraging support to Hong Kong's I&T development by President Xi Jinping during his recent visit to Hong Kong, this term of Government will endeavour to step up efforts in driving the I&T development with the vision to develop Hong Kong into an international I&T centre. We will devise a top-level planning, further enlarge our I&T talent pool, continue to enhance our I&T ecosystem, speed up the progress of the reindustrialisation, and deepen our I&T collaboration with the Mainland thereby bringing continuous impetus to the I&T development of Hong Kong. The concerted effort of all relevant stakeholders, including the academia, research institutes and business community is certainly indispensable.

The coming five years will be a crucial time for Hong Kong to advance from governance to prosperity and are particularly important for Hong Kong's I&T development. I look forward to joining hands with you all here to fully seize the golden development opportunities ahead and to build a better and more innovative Hong Kong. Before I close, may I take this opportunity to wish PolyU a happy 85th anniversary, today's event a great success and everyone a very fruitful and rewarding experience.

Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Prof Sun Dong gave these remarks at the opening ceremony of PolyU InnoTech Open Day on July 16.