HKPC Establishes New “Future Life & Health Tech Centre” Driving R&D Translation and Sector Collaboration Elevating Hong Kong as a Global Life & Health Innovation Hub

(Hong Kong, 9 March 2026) The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) today officially launched its new “Future Life & Health Tech Centre”, unveiling a suite of R&D achievements and application technologies across life sciences, medical technology, future food, biotechnology and modernisation of Chinese medicine. With a clear focus on accelerating R&D, pilot-scale development, smart manufacturing and commercialisation, the Centre aims to serve as an industry accelerator for life and health technology in Hong Kong, supporting the commercialisation of research outcomes from lab to market and driving the development of new productive forces.

Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Digital Officer of HKPC, said, “Life and health technology is a fast-rising focus for Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development. The Government’s 2026–27 Budget also outlines several initiatives to accelerate I&T development, with a primary focus on life and health technology.  HKPC is committed to supporting the Government’s strategic development in this field by delivering forward-looking innovative technologies and services. Through the ‘Future Life & Health Tech Centre’, we will leverage AI, smart manufacturing, pilot platforms and cross-border collaboration to speed up the commercialisation of research outcomes, fostering Hong Kong as an international life and health innovation hub.”

An integrated platform from R&D to market adoption
Positioned as an end-to-end enabler across the full value chain, the “Future Life & Health Tech Centre” provides systematic support from research and pilot production through to scaleup and market adoption. It includes platforms for active ingredient efficacy validation, microencapsulation and controlled release, AI health monitoring model development, dosage form optimisation for Chinese medicine, future food technologies, medical device pilot capabilities and smart microfactory demonstration. The Centre serves as a bridge between universities and research institutes, healthcare providers, local enterprises and Greater Bay Area resources, facilitating upstream, midstream and downstream collaboration for life and health technology.

Exhibition Highlights Showcasing Diverse Applications in Life and Health Technology
According to HKPC’s “Hong Kong Life and Health Industry Development Study”, the sector’s long-term success hinges on technology-driven innovation and efficient industrialisation. The Centre showcases the following innovations:

1. Medical Technology and Diagnostics

• Veterinary recombinant plasmid DNA vaccine injection technology: Enhances plasmid DNA uptake to boost antibody production and immune response while improving safety; supports animal vaccine R&D.
• Innovative Porous Silica Capsule Technology: Delivers precise, sustained release of drugs or antibacterial agents; tested to eliminate over 95% of harmful microorganisms. HKPC co‑developed a customised hybrid process and smart production equipment for APEL to establish a “Smart Micro‑factory”, translating research into industrial application.
• Modernisation of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Combines modern dosage form development with zebrafish model validation. A TCM-based hydrogel patch is undergoing drug registration, with approval targeted for Q3 2026.
• AI Scalp Health Diagnosis System: Built on HKPC’s open AI platform “HKPC Picasso,” it utilises high-resolution imaging and multimodal data to detect scalp conditions and instantly generate personalised health reports.
   

2. Future Food and Functional Nutrition

The release of HKPC’s “Hong Kong Future Food Industry Study” finds that more than half of surveyed companies see significantly higher demand for future foods compared with five years ago, while 63% of them expect functional food (e.g. probiotic drinks, soft meals and care foods) to be a key trend in the next three to five years. In line with these developments, the Centre features:

• Bioprotective Coating Technology for Preservation on Fresh Produce: A food-grade coating that reduces moisture loss, oxygen exposure and microbial growth to extend shelf life and enhance supply chain efficiency.
• Microencapsulation and Controlled Release Technology for Functional Food: Embeds active ingredients within a carrier system to protect sensitive substances, enhance bioavailability and enable precise release control.
• AI-enabled Liquid Chilling Tunnel System: A two-stage chilling solution that reduces cooling time by over 60% and boosts efficiency by 90%. An AI vision system automatically identifies products and optimises chilling cycles, ensuring food safety, process stability and full data traceability. The technology has received multiple international honours, including the Gold Medal at the 2017 International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.
   

HKPC emphasised that the “Future Life & Health Tech Centre” will act as a key platform for innovative research, pilot-scale development and industrial-scale commercialisation. Moving forward, HKPC will work closely with the Government, academia, healthcare organisations and industry partners in Hong Kong and other cities of the Greater Bay Area to strengthen the innovation ecosystem for life and health technology—supporting Hong Kong’s development as an international life and health innovation hub and advancing new industrialisation.

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Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Digital Officer of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, outlines the vision and strategy of the “Future Life & Health Tech Centre” and introduces a range of cutting-edge R&D outcomes in life and health technology.

The “Future Life & Health Tech Centre” showcases medical technology and diagnostic innovations, including the “Veterinary recombinant plasmid DNA vaccine injection technology” and the “Modernisation of Traditional Chinese Medicine”.

The “Future Life & Health Tech Centre” features future food technologies, including the “Bioprotective Coating Technology for Preservation on Fresh Produces” and “Microencapsulation and Controlled Release Technology for Functional Food”.