Letters | Hong Kong must bridge gaps hindering its innovation hub ambitions
Readers discuss steps the city can take to foster collaboration on innovation, and the HK$2 transport fare concession scheme
I write to highlight the critical competency gaps hindering Hong Kong’s ambition to become a global innovation hub. Addressing these gaps requires a data-driven, strategic approach that leverages Hong Kong’s unique strengths while fostering collaboration across the government, academia and private sector.
Hong Kong’s research and development expenditure stands at just around 1 per cent of gross domestic product, significantly lower than Shenzhen’s 6.5 per cent and South Korea’s nearly 5 per cent. This underscores the urgent need for increased investment in critical areas such as artificial intelligence, biotech and green technology.
For example, a tech adoption fund could be launched to incentivise government departments to adopt AI and digital tools, setting a precedent for the private sector.
In academia, the misalignment between curriculum and industry needs is a pressing issue. Universities must revise their curriculums to integrate AI, data analytics and digital literacy as core subjects, ensuring graduates are industry-ready.
Establishing industry-academia collaboration hubs would facilitate research commercialisation and foster innovation ecosystems. Furthermore, launching government-funded digital skills academies could provide affordable reskilling programmes for mid-career professionals, targeting industries at risk of disruption.
The private sector, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, faces significant challenges in adopting innovative technologies.