Advertisement

Sector is key to city's future

Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0

As one of six sectors highlighted in last year's policy address, innovation and technology hold the key to Hong Kong's future.

With the city moving towards an information driven, knowledge-based economy, it is necessary to step up research and development (R&D) in innovation and technology to stay competitive, says Dr Cheung Nim-kwan, CEO of Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (Astri).

The government has taken the lead in setting up the Innovation and Technology Commission, Cyberport and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks. It has also funded six R&D centres to help with further development of major areas, such as information and communications technology (ICT); nanotechnology; textile and clothing; logistics; automobile parts; and Chinese medicine.

As a publicly funded institution focusing on applied ICT research, Astri pays a great deal of attention on environmental friendliness and energy efficiency. For example, it has helped the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the Highways Department develop light emitting diode (LED) street lamps, now being tested at the science park. The LED lamps use less energy than fluorescent ones and are free of mercury.

Astri's main business is to transfer technology - through licensing, contract services, industry collaborative programmes and other means - to its customers, including manufacturers and other R&D institutions, for commercialisation. Astri carried out about 100 technology transfer projects last year.

'Technology R&D is a globally interdependent and complex system,' Cheung says. '[Sometimes] to develop a new technology, we need to access the patent rights of existing technology, so that we can further exploit, integrate, transfer and add our own knowledge to develop a new patented technology. It will then be bought and used in the development of other technologies across the world.'

Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x