Right wavelength: Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Rita Lau opens the Hong Kong Radio Frequency Identification Centre (Supply Chain Innovation Centre) at the Hong Kong Science Park.

Developing radio frequency identification (RFID) technology will boost the Government's objective of making Hong Kong a regional innovation and technology hub, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Rita Lau says.

Officiating at the opening of the Radio Frequency Identification Centre (Supply Chain Innovation Centre) at Hong Kong Science Park today, Mrs Lau said the technology can be applied throughout the business process from material sourcing to after-sale services.

"There are so many innovative ways to apply this technology to various aspects of our lives such as healthcare, transportation, food safety and shipping," she said. "We are exploring new uses for this technology every day. Despite the many technological and practical constraints, Hong Kong has established itself in the past decade as a leader in the development of RFID technology and its applications."

Hong Kong International Airport is the world's first airport to fully utilise the technology to ensure efficient flow of passengers and cargo. The Octopus card is also one of the world's earliest RFID-enabled payment solutions.

She said development of the technology is one of the top research areas for the Hong Kong Research & Development Centre for Logistics & Supply Chain Management Enabling Technologies.

From 2004 to 2007 the Innovation & Technology Fund provided $108 million in financial support for 17 RFID-related projects, covering improvement in RFID tagging and embedding technology, application in food safety, enhancement of privacy protection and communication security, and development of a real-time manufacturing shop-floor information infrastructure.