HKPC Collaborates with Guangzhou Baiyun District and Zhongshan Governments to Furnish Technological Services Support for Local Enterprises in Upgrading and Transformation Promoting “Government Subsidies + HKPC Technological Service Offerings" Model in Mainland for New Industrialisation

(Hong Kong, 30 August 2023) The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) recently signed a strategic agreement with Baiyun District, Guangzhou. HKPC will establish a technical liaison outpost in Guangzhou dedicated to promoting new industrialisation and providing world-class advanced technologies and services. HKPC will launch a study by working with enterprises in Baiyun District. The study aims to support industries such as food, life and health technology, cosmetics, and automotive components to embrace new industrialisation opportunities, and provide insights and recommendations for Baiyun District to formulate supportive policies for enterprises in the future. Through the collaboration, HKPC and Baiyuan District are committed to supporting Hong Kong enterprises to expand their presence in the Mainland market by utilising the industrial and geographical advantages of Baiyun District; encouraging enterprises in Baiyun District to go global through Hong Kong’s role as an international innovation and technology (I&T) centre; supporting two-way development for enterprises from Baiyun District and Hong Kong to fully leverage Hong Kong's advantages in I&T and favourable policies, strengthen the competitiveness of enterprises in the supply chain and industrial chain, and promote new industrialisation.

Baiyun District is one of Guangzhou’s most dynamic and promising districts with great potential and scope for development. The collaboration with HKPC will help Baiyun District realise its development strategy to strengthen major platforms such as "One Park, Two Cities, Three Capitals, and Four Zones"¹, and build "6+6" modern industrial clusters². Baiyun District will achieve these goals in line with Guangzhou’s development plan to become a manufacturing powerhouse and focus on nurturing and strengthening strategic emerging industries, and make Baiyun District a beacon of innovation and entrepreneurship in Guangzhou.

HKPC is also working in a similar manner with the Bureau of Science and Technology, Zhongshan Municipal Government (Bureau), with collaboration details introduced in a recent notice by the Bureau with guidelines about the use of a special fund supporting Zhongshan enterprises to pursue development by adopting technology and innovation³. The special fund encourages Zhongshan enterprises to increase investment in research and development (R&D), and it supports R&D service- providers from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, including HKPC, to provide consultation services to enterprises in management improvement, or projects for enterprises to upgrade to digitalised and intelligent production. The collaboration between HKPC and the Bureau will help Hong Kong and Zhongshan to deepen cooperation under the frameworks of "Hong Kong I&T + Zhongshan Manufacturing", "Hong Kong Youths + Zhongshan Entrepreneurship", and "Hong Kong Talent + Zhongshan Standard of Living".

Meanwhile, HKPC and authorities in Bao’an District, Shenzhen; Dongguan and Huizhou, etc. are exploring collaboration opportunities in a similar model, continuing deepening exchange and cooperation about how to provide innovative services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), further stimulate the vitality of enterprises in technological innovation, support the setup of more high-tech, standard-setting enterprises, and enhance the overall competitiveness of enterprises in GBA.

Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Executive Officer, Mainland Business of HKPC, said, “Governments in various places have begun to introduce measures to support enterprises to pursue upgrading and transformation. These measures will provide greater impetus for economic recovery and growth, helping enterprises make full preparation to enhance competitiveness amid global supply chain reshuffles. HKPC is poised to enhance our service offerings in the Mainland, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in GBA. We will promote the successful model of collaboration with ‘Government Subsidies + HKPC Technological Service Offerings’ in the Mainland, and support the upgrading and transformation of enterprises through advanced technology, FutureSkills training and matching of Government funding schemes. We are committed to helping enterprises take full advantage of funding support from both Hong Kong and Mainland authorities. And we will help more SMEs build smart workshops and smart factories, support them to move towards sustainable smart manufacturing, and promote high-quality socio-economic development.”

Recently, HKPC launched GBA Industry Network Clusters (GBA-INC) consultation events in various cities including Guangzhou, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Zhongshan, and Shenzhen, etc., to engage with industry stakeholders and understand their pain points and needs. Participants include Hong Kong enterprises from more than 20 industries, business associations and chambers of commerce (with more than 38,000 member enterprises in total), local Government authorities and HKSAR Government’s liaison offices in these cities. Inspired by the insights gathered during the consultations, HKPC will make multi-pronged efforts to enhance the provision of R&D and technological services to enterprises operating in the Mainland. The enhancement includes: establishing more liaison outposts in Mainland cities of the GBA; enhancing collaboration with Government authorities in various Mainland provinces and cities to implement new industrialisation projects; setting up regular communication mechanisms with industry and business associations to share information and raise awareness of supportive policies, successful cases, and latest opportunities about new industrialisation in Hong Kong and also in GBA as a whole; encouraging enterprises’ upgrading and transformation; collaborating with corporate partners to establish new industrialisation demonstration bases; organising seminars, talent exchange and visit programmes; and extending the scope of SME support services to Mainland cities in the GBA.

Mr Edmond LAI continued, “Over the past 56 years, HKPC has always been dedicated to helping enterprises address pain points and with our motto of ‘Innovation Never Stops’, and providing support for the industry through world-class technological service offerings. As one of Hong Kong’s largest and most accomplished research institutions in applied R&D, HKPC acts as the implementation agent for various funding schemes of the HKSAR Government. HKPC combines the characteristics and institutional advantages as a research institution in applied R&D, as a public organisation, and as an enterprise. We excel in bringing technological breakthroughs, transforming R&D outcomes into practical applications, and designing customised solutions and comprehensive services for SMEs to embrace digitalisation and intelligent production. HKPC will continue with full support for the HKSAR Government to promote the development of I&T and new industrialisation, enhance Hong Kong’s springboard role with strong support of the country and being closely connected to the world, to ‘attract international I&T resources, talent, and high-tech enterprises’ to contribute to the development of GBA, and helping Mainland enterprises ‘go global’ and explore the international market.”

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Details of relevant policies in Guangzhou and Zhongshan:
¹ In 2023, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, brought forward a major development platform called “One Park, Two Cities, Three Capitals, Four Zones” with the aim of enhancing the capabilities of “One Park” (Guangzhou Private Science and Technology Park), fostering the development of “Two Cities” (Baiyun New City, Baiyun Lake Digital Science and Technology City), establishing the brands of “Three ‘Capitals’” (Guangzhou being the “Capital” of Design, of Food, and of Fashion), and carrying out the development plan of “Four Zones” (Modern Urban Agriculture Demonstration Zone, Coastal Economic Zone, Portside Activity Zone, Cultural & Tourism Creativity Zone).

² In recent years, Baiyun District in Guangzhou has been focusing on building a new industrial ecosystem, comprehensively promoting”6+6” modern industrial clusters. Among them, the six major trillion-yuan-scale pillar-type advantageous industrial clusters are Beauty and Health, Modern Urban Agriculture, Air Transport and Modern Logistics, Modern Urban Consumption, Rail Transit, and Construction. The six major billion-yuan-scale strategic emerging industrial clusters for the future are Smart Connectivity and New Energy Vehicles, Laser and Plasma, New Energy, Next-generation Information Technology, Design, and Cultural Tourism and Creative Industry Cluster.

³ Please visit the webpage for details about the notice issued by the Bureau of Science and Technology, Zhongshan Municipal Government, with guidelines about the use of a special fund supporting Zhongshan enterprises to pursue development by adopting technology and innovation: http://kj.zs.gov.cn/zwgk/bmwj/gfxwj/content/post_2311057.html

Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Executive Officer, Mainland Business of HKPC (third from right, front row) recently signed a strategic agreement with Mr ZHOU Jun (centre, front row), Deputy District Mayor of Baiyun District, Guangzhou. HKPC will establish a technical liaison outpost in Guangzhou dedicated to promoting new industrialisation, and providing world-class advanced technologies and services. HKPC will launch a study by working with enterprises in Baiyun District. The study aims to support industries such as food, life and health technology, cosmetics, and automotive components to embrace new industrialisation opportunities, and provide insights and recommendations for Baiyun District to formulate supportive policies for enterprises in the future.

HKPC has provided services to Hong Kong enterprises operating in Zhongshan, providing advanced technology, FutureSkills training and HKSAR Government funding over the past years (the two photos above showcase the collaboration projects among HKPC and two such enterprises in Zhongshan). HKPC is collaborating with the Bureau of Science and Technology, Zhongshan Municipal Government, in the model of “Mainland Government Subsidies + HKPC Technological Service Offerings”, to support the upgrading and transformation of enterprises towards smart manufacturing and new industrialisation.