Chinese scientists hail Hong Kong's success as world's leading tech hub

The nation's extensive support in sci-tech development has made Hong Kong a rising star in the highly competitive field, and will propel it into a world-class hub, leading scientists in Hong Kong said.

Since Hong Kong returned to the motherland on July 1, 1997, the central government has spared no effort in developing the special administrative region's science and technology.

In May 2018, President Xi Jinping responded to a letter written by 24 Hong Kong academicians, prompting central government departments to implement a series of initiatives to speed up the city's science and technology advancement, including allowing Hong Kong scholars to apply directly for funding for national scientific projects.

The research team of William Lu Weijia, professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at the University of Hong Kong, is among the first to have received national funding since the setting up of the cross-border application policy. In 2018 the Ministry of Science and TechnologyScience and Technology gave 27.44 million yuan for the functional reconstruction of human tissues and organs.

With funding, Lu s team has developed a 3 D printing machine capable of recreating blood vessels, skin, corneas, and other organs for human beings.

Lu praised the central government's support for Hong Kong's sci-tech development as timely and efficient, as it established more open, extensive, and deep cooperation between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

Lu Yang, a professor of mechanical engineering at the City University of Hong Kong, was among the first Hong Kong scientists to receive the Excellent Young Scientists Fund under the National Natural Science Foundation of China, which opened to applicants for Hong Kong and Macao in 2019.

He received 1.3 million yuan in funding for his project — two to three times more than the amount a regular researcher could hope to receive in HongKong. Lu Yang said the nation's backing has offered plenty of fresh opportunities for Hong Kong scientists like himself, and he was honored that the country could recognize the project from Hong Kong.

Electrical engineering expert Chan Ching-chuen, who initiated the letter to President Xi, said that the central government's support has helped Hong Kong resolve many deep-rooted problems, for example completing the city's ecological chain.

Hong Kong researchers can take advantage of the mainland's industrial foundation and integrated supply chain to commercialize technologies with favorable policies offered by cooperation platforms like the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park.

READ MORE: HK scientists are urged to take part in nation's tech projects.

Neurobiologist Nancy Ip Yukyu, who co-signed the letter to Xi, said that Hong Kong's strong research capability and experience in the biotech sector can play a significant role in the nation s quest to become a global tech powerhouse. Ip is also the incoming president of the Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyScience and Technology.