The picture shows the scene of the "Innovation and Technology Carnival 2026" organized by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong SAR Government. Photo courtesy of the Information Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government
Reporter Wang Lingxi
Recently, there have been a lot of great events in Hong Kong’s innovation and technology field. At the just-held "Innovation Technology Carnival 2026", more than 40 organizations presented innovative achievements, covering fields such as artificial intelligence and aerospace; the "2026 Technology + New Productivity Summit Forum" focused on the implementation of innovation and technology achievements and helped Hong Kong promote the development of new quality productivity through innovation and technology; Hong Kong's first international application training ground for embodied intelligence was officially opened, injecting new momentum into new industrialization...
Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Lee Ka-chiu said that the global technological revolution and industrial transformation are accelerating breakthroughs. The development of innovative technologies to lead new productive forces is no longer a multiple-choice question, but a must-answer question. The SAR government, scientific research institutions and technology companies have taken a multi-pronged approach to promote Hong Kong's development into an international innovation and technology center by organizing activities to popularize innovation and technology, gathering talents, integrating markets, and collaborating with others. Hong Kong's innovation and technology vitality has further exploded, steadily accumulating new impetus for economic development.
Introduce key enterprises
Recently, the Hong Kong SAR Government introduced the Key Enterprise Office to hold a key enterprise partner signing ceremony to welcome a new batch of 18 key enterprises to establish or expand their business in Hong Kong. The 18 key companies that settled in Hong Kong this time come from advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, financial technology and other fields, including one of the world's largest gold refining and precious metal service providers, a leading company in next-generation financial infrastructure and digital asset solutions, etc.
"The new batch of key enterprises will further strengthen the development of Hong Kong's strategic industries and enrich Hong Kong's innovation and technology ecosystem." said Ren Jingxin, director of the Introduction Office of the Hong Kong SAR Government. The first projects of these enterprises cover financial technology, clinical research, precious metal services, embodied robot commercialization and other fields. They will drive upstream and downstream enterprises and partners to gather in Hong Kong, promote the in-depth integration of the industrial chain, innovation chain and capital chain, and further consolidate Hong Kong's status as an innovation and technology hub.
"Humanoid robots and embodied intelligence are the key frontiers of a new round of scientific and technological innovation, and have great potential to transform industrial operation models, enhance and generate new productivity." Hong Kong's first international application training ground for embodied intelligence was officially opened recently. Sun Dong, Director of the Bureau of Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong SAR Government, believes that Hong Kong has a deep foundation in basic scientific research, has R&D personnel with rich experience in international scientific research cooperation, and is connected with international markets and standards. It has ideal conditions for technology testing, verification and commercialization.
In the first phase, the training ground brings together 7 technology partners and 8 international scenario partners, covering areas such as industrial manufacturing, smart logistics, retail services, inspection and maintenance, and public services. It is expected to promote embodied intelligence technology from laboratories to large-scale industrial applications.
Accelerate the implementation of results
With the implementation of Hong Kong's first five-year plan, there is a clear timetable for building an international innovation and technology center. Zheng Xiangling, president of the Chinese Friendship Association of Hong Kong, recently stated at the "2026 Technology + New Productivity Summit Forum" that Hong Kong's first five-year plan proposes to build an internationally competitive advanced R&D center and pilot transformation base for the science and technology industry to provide strong support for the transformation of scientific research results. Hong Kong must not only be a "super contact person" and "super value-added person", but also become a "super implementer" of scientific and technological achievements, truly transforming scientific research achievements into productivity.
At the summit forum, more than 400 guests from enterprises, universities, scientific research institutions and the investment community discussed topics such as artificial intelligence, achievement transformation, and capital empowerment. "Hong Kong must dare to break down barriers, promote efficient collaboration among different sectors of government, industry, academia, research, and investment, and transform scientific research results into market products." Li Jiachao revealed that in the future, Hong Kong will use the northern metropolitan area as the main growth engine to promote the integrated development of education, technology, and talent. "Hong Kong will continue to open up new economic tracks and become a breeding ground for global new technologies, new products, and new models. At the same time, it will vigorously promote new industrialization, promote the high integration of the digital economy and the real economy, and serve the country's construction of a technological power." He said.
Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said that whether it is supporting economic transformation and development through technology, or using technology to enhance economic momentum and support employment, efficient financial support is inseparable. Hong Kong will focus on three aspects: integrating long-term capital, broadening currency choices, and managing and sharing risks to promote efficient financial integration. “The SAR government will use ‘finance +’ to assist corporate financing and promote innovation, commercialization of scientific research results, and business expansion,” he said.
Promote innovation and technology culture
In order to promote the popularization of knowledge about innovation and technology in the community, the "Innovation and Technology Carnival 2026" hosted by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Hong Kong SAR Government was recently held at the Hong Kong Science Park. The nine-day carnival, with the theme of "Innovation and Technology Piloting, Flying Dreams High", set up multiple interactive experience and education exhibition areas to fully demonstrate the diverse aspects of Hong Kong's innovation and technology capabilities, allowing citizens to immersively touch cutting-edge technologies and feel the charm of innovation and technology.
Lai Ka-ying, the first astronaut from Hong Kong, launched with the country's manned space mission this year. To this end, this carnival has set up a special "Aerospace Zone" to focus on displaying the scientific research results of Hong Kong universities in the field of aerospace science and technology and their contributions to the national space mission. In the exhibition area, the "Tianyun Camera" model developed by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology attracted much attention. Ms. Zhou, a Hong Kong citizen, specially came to visit with her children. She said: "I used to think that aerospace is far away from ordinary people. Today I saw the instruments developed in Hong Kong flying to the space station. I feel very proud. I also want to take this opportunity to bring my children to get close contact with aerospace science."
During the event, approximately 150 innovation and technology workshops were held, including DIY maglev trains, AI aviation route planning, crystallization experiments and other projects, and more than 10 online lectures were held, with scientific researchers and industry experts sharing cutting-edge scientific and technological knowledge. "The development of innovation and technology ultimately relies on people, especially young people. Through exhibitions, workshops, lectures and interactive experiences, the carnival allows citizens to learn and try it out for themselves." Paul Chan believes that Hong Kong should not only attract corporate investment, but also give more young people the opportunity to understand science and explore technology, promote the transformation of scientific research and innovation into practical benefits and business opportunities, strengthen Hong Kong's innovation and technology strength, and build an international innovation and technology center.
