HKPC Serves as Superconnector of SMEs in Greater Bay Area Taking Charge as Chairing Organisation of GBA Productivity Alliance

(Hong Kong, 10 January 2022) The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) is committed to becoming a superconnector for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong tapping into the Greater Bay Area (GBA) market, and help them understand and grasp GBA market opportunities with its world-class experiences and strengths in innovation and technology (I&T). Since October 2021, HKPC has been rotating as the chairing organisation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Productivity Promotion Service Alliance (hereinafter referred to as the "Alliance") for a term of three years, which has enabled partnerships with GBA institutes and schools for joining hands with SMEs to promote I&T development in the GBA.

The Alliance was initiated and founded by HKPC, China Association of Productivity Promotion Centers, Guangdong Productivity Center and Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center in 2018. The Alliance also has 9 governing units and 8 member units besides the founders, including productivity organisations and research centres in GBA as well as renowned tertiary institutions such as Jinan University and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine.

The Alliance aims to maximise the competitive edges of the productivity organisations, deepen the exchange and cooperation of innovative services in the GBA, enhance communications between alliance members and SMEs and boost overall competitiveness of GBA enterprises. It sets sights on creating a GBA innovation circle through resource sharing, complementary advantages, synergetic development and win-win cooperation.

Mr Mohamed Butt, President of the Alliance and Executive Director of HKPC, was deeply honoured by the appointment. He said, “The GBA is full of opportunities. With the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan in full swing and future development of the Northern Metropolis in Hong Kong, GBA is appealing to all industries especially those involving mass production. With our extensive experience in scientific research and operating our affiliated companies in GBA for years, we are able to ride on the Alliance’s impressive network covering GBA research institutes and technology bureaus to further strengthen our role as participants and facilitators of the dual circulation in innovation, technology and economy."

Mr Edmond Lai, Vice-President of the Alliance and Chief Digital Officer of HKPC, said, "As a leading scientific research institution, HKPC has been supporting Hong Kong enterprises to upgrade and transform through advanced technology and innovative solutions. We offer ‘one-stop’ support for the design and development of intelligent production lines from feasibility studies, factory layout and production line design, fine-tuning to fund matching to enhance the productivity and competitiveness. In the next three years of our term of office, HKPC will perform its superconnecting role in Hong Kong and the GBA, continue to strengthen interaction with members of the Alliance in advanced manufacturing, youth innovation and entrepreneurship, green technology and talent training, to give full play to each other strength, actively promote the transfer and commercialisation of technology R&D results in the GBA, and further enhance innovation and cooperation among the industry, academic, and research sectors in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau.”

In 2022, the Alliance will focus on the “Bay Area Forum” series of activities, which will be held online and offline in various cities in the GBA. Through exploring different topics such as technology and finance, commercialisation of R&D results, industrial transformation and upgrading, it aims to allow SMEs in the GBA to pick up practical information. The Alliance will also continue to hold productivity forums, exchanges and study tours, and industry-academia-research roadshows to promote in-depth understanding of the industrial environment in the GBA among SMEs.

Since its establishment in 1967, HKPC is approaching its 55th anniversary of servicing Hong Kong. As the first and the only Hong Kong public organisation to register and establish an operating entity in the GBA, it currently has four subsidiaries in the region. In addition to applied R&D projects, HKPC also provides comprehensive technical support services, talent training, assistance for enterprises in the GBA, including Hong Kong-owned ones, in finding suitable government funding, and timely support for startups with space and resources. At the same time, it promotes external circulation, assisting GBA enterprises to go international through Hong Kong. HKPC Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Centre in Futian is setting up a data analytics team to assist in R&D, while HKPC GBA FutureSkills Centre provides FutureSkills training courses for talents in the GBA.

Earlier, HKPC was awarded The Greater Bay Area Navigation Award – Award for Outstanding Contribution (Organisation) in recognition of its contribution to relentlessly driving technologies to enhance productivity of Hong Kong and GBA enterprises and help them transform.

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Since October 2021, HKPC has been rotating as the chairing organisation of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Productivity Promotion Service Alliance for a term of three years, and is committed to joining hands with SMEs to promote I&T development in the GBA. The photo showcases the signing ceremony for the establishment of the Alliance in 2018.

As the first and the only Hong Kong public organisation to register and establish an operating entity in the Greater Bay Area, HKPC currently has four subsidiaries in the region. The photo shows the office of HKPC Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Centre in Futian, Shenzhen.