ITC x HKPC x HKSTP Golden Triangle Accelerates Reindustrialisation in Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach^[1] - 17 March 2021 - The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC)^[2] and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) today jointly organised the "Accelerating Reindustrialisation in Hong Kong and Theme Hall Opening Ceremony", supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the HKSAR Government, to outline the best strategies and available support for enterprises to realise reindustrialisation.

The "Accelerating Reindustrialisation in Hong Kong and Theme Hall Opening Ceremony" was unveiled by Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner of Innovation and Technology, HKSAR Government (centre), Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC (second from left), Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP (first from right), Mr Jimmy Kwok, Chairman of Reindustrialisation Funding Scheme Vetting Committee (second from right), as well as Mr Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of HKPC (first from left).

As ITC, HKPC and HKSTP are all committed to promoting reindustrialisation in Hong Kong, today's collaboration is another fine example to the efforts of different stakeholders to provide four essential support covering finance, infrastructure, technology and talent development to facilitate reindustrialisation. The forum and theme hall opening are also the second signature events under HKPC's "Make Smart Smarter" theme of the year campaign.

Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC, and Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP, were joined by Ms Rebecca Pun, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, as Guest-of-Honour, as well as Mr Jimmy Kwok, Chairman of the Re-industrialisation Funding Scheme (RFS) Vetting Committee, and Mr Mohamed Butt, Executive Director of HKPC, to officiate the launch of the reindustrialisation theme hall which aims to encourage local and Greater Bay Area manufacturers to set up high value-added production lines in Hong Kong, enabling them to leverage resources of ITC, HKPC and HKSTP that match their needs to achieve Industry 4.0 (i4.0). 

In his welcoming address, Mr Willy Lin, Chairman of HKPC, said, "HKPC is grateful to ITC and HKSTP for their unreserved support towards reindustrialisation and participation in this event. We hope this collaboration can help potential manufacturers to identify available support to achieve reindustrialisation. HKPC is very pleased to see that support covering finance, infrastructure, technology and talent development are all available. We will work harder to make use of research and development (R&D) as an engine to drive Hong Kong's new economy, leveraging talent to build the future for Hong Kong so that various industries can reap benefits."

Ms Rebecca Pun, the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, said, "Innovation and technology (I&T) development is one of the priority policy areas of the current-term Government. To date, the Government has allocated over $100 billion to support I&T development, and reindustrialisation is one of the major work areas.  In recent years, we have been actively promoting reindustrialisation in four aspects, namely infrastructure, talent, technology and financial support, to develop advanced manufacturing industries that are based on new technologies and smart production without much land required so as to stimulate the demand for research and development, identify new growth points for Hong Kong's economy, create quality jobs for young people and raise Hong Kong's competitiveness."

Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP, said, "Reindustrialisation is powering a diversified and resilient economy for the future of Hong Kong. It is enabling an ecosystem of digital industries that accelerates the creation of more technology companies, products, and most importantly, high-skilled employment for young people. HKSTP is extending our vibrant innovation and technology community to the city's industrial estates, while creating the infrastructure and value-added services necessary to support these new opportunities. Together with ITC and HKPC, we are committed to turning reindustrialisation into reality and demonstrating the strength of 'Innovated, Designed and Made in Hong Kong'."

The "Golden Triangle" collaboration of ITC, HKPC and HKSTP in promoting reindustrialisation in Hong Kong, offers all-round support for manufacturers covering finance, advanced infrastructure, technology and talent development.

In terms of finance, ITC's Innovation and Technology Fund provides financial support for local R&D work projects that can contribute to the technological upgrading of industries and promotion of innovation. RFS, Technology Voucher Programme, Innovation and Technology Support Programme, Partnership Research Programme, and Enterprises Support Scheme are some of the relevant funding schemes that offer resources for advanced manufacturers to perform high value functions.

In terms of infrastructure, HKSTP provides the necessary infrastructure and facilities for fostering industrial R&D and advanced manufacturing. It has built the Precision Manufacturing Centre and the Advanced Manufacturing Centre at its industrial parks for high value-added manufacturers with special demands on production facilities.

In terms of technology, HKPC has been assisting enterprises to move towards high value-added production and gradually upgrade to i4.0. With the set up of the INC Invention Centre (The Hatch) in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT) of Germany to support Hong Kong enterprises in adopting innovative industrial technologies, it has also been actively engaging in the advancement of digitalisation, cyber security, FutureSkills, intelligent production, smart technologies and green living. 

In terms of talent development, HKPC, together with the Vocational Training Council and Fraunhofer IPT, launched the first i4.0 professional diploma programme in Hong Kong in 2018. Memorandums of Understanding with universities such as Tsinghua University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong have been signed to incubate more InnoTalent, injecting new impetus into R&D and enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong businesses.

The "Accelerating Reindustrialisation in Hong Kong Forum" was held after the Opening Ceremony of the Reindustrialisation Theme Hall, featuring successful case sharing by manufacturers which have set up intelligent production in Hong Kong and the presence of prestigious speakers from banking, logistics and IT industries to share insights on how to grasp the opportunities brought by innovation & technology and identify new areas of growth for the local economy.

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) (www.hkpc.org)