The Hong Kong Productivity Council has said it believes tech firms will be among the first batch of industries that can fully transform and commercialise the outcomes of research and development in the next half-decade as outlined in the public consultation document for the SAR’s first five-year blueprint.

Council chairman Sunny Tan told RTHK that while the SAR has been making good progress in R&D, industries are struggling with putting such results to use.

“Partly because Hong Kong is really a small city compared to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing. We have our own limitation, and we usually work international together with our Chinese mainland counterparts too. But then we are working on an integrated supply chain, so I think there are more complications to it.”

Tan pointed out that the government has been working hard to tackle the city's shortcomings by luring in more professionals and constructing the Northern Metropolis. He added that authorities have created a very competitive environment for the firms that will eventually set up shop in the mega-project to succeed.

The 30,000-hectare site – accounting for one-third of the city’s total area – will provide new land to support the development of innovation and technology and boost Hong Kong’s status as an I&T hub.

Asked if it's likely the city will be able to realise the transformation of R&D in five years' time, Tan, who is also a lawmaker, said emerging industries could begin to bear fruits within that period.

“Some companies from Beijing, from Shanghai, we have been helping them to deploy a testing environment in Hong Kong. We are helping them to test on the international standard. We are connecting them to the Middle East, to Southeast Asia for different types of use in terms of on autonomous driving, drone technologies, robotics. It's already happening,” he said.

“So we are seeing that with the, I would say, the emerging industry, the new tech, I think because it's not being done before, we can really structure our own way and to expedite the entire process.”

It will take longer for conventional industries however, Tan said, given they already have a pre-established environment and supply chain.

The chairman is also confident that with the establishment of the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park, an area positioned to focus on advanced manufacturing in the Northern Metropolis, products made locally will become even more attractive.

“I think it sets a great example of the items that are made in Hong Kong with a premium. Because if some of the products can be made elsewhere, Hong Kong would not be competitive," he said.

"But there are things that people really treasure and [are] made in Hong Kong, for example medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals.”


Edited by Aaron Tam