Tech Applied Summit Opens in Hong Kong

Boosting Innovation and Competitiveness through Industry Collaboration

HONG KONG, Feb. 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tech Applied Summit, Hong Kong's first premier innovation and technology event in 2025, opened today at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. With the theme "Leading Tech Forward", the summit has brought together over 40 global leaders from government, industry, academia, research, and investment sectors. With more than 1,500 attendees, including technologists, startups, business leaders, and innovation and technology (I&T) enthusiasts, are engaging in discussions on cutting-edge topics such as generative AI, the low-altitude economy, and smart cities.

The summit was organised by the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), as the inaugural event of its silver jubilee year. Funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission, the summit has garnered support from 70 organisations. The event kicked off with a video address by Chief Executive The Hon John Lee, followed by keynote speeches from senior government officials, including Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, who shared his insights on the importance of technology and collaboration in driving Hong Kong's growth and positioning it as a global innovation hub, and Ms Mable Chan, Secretary for Transport and Logistics, who unveiled I&T related policies such as the low-altitude economy development blueprint.

Empowering Industries Through Innovation

In his video address, Chief Executive The Hon John Lee said the HKSAR Government has been implementing forward-looking policies to drive our city's I&T advancement. "Our HK$10 billion RAISe+ Scheme, launched by this term of the Government, is fast-tracking R&D commercialisation. The New Industrialisation Acceleration scheme is helping industries like life and health technology and advanced manufacturing build cutting-edge, smart production facilities. The new HK$10 billion Innovation and Technology Industry-Oriented Fund will soon launch, to channel more investment in emerging and future industries of strategic importance. All there initiatives are making Hong Kong a launch pad for start-ups, researchers, and investors to turn bold ideas into transformative realities."

"The Tech Applied Summit exemplifies how collaboration can supercharge innovation. We are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and are committed to continuing our journey of innovation and excellence. I would like to thank ASTRI for organising this remarkable Summit, and for your unwavering commitment to Hong Kong's I&T development." Mr Lee added.

Professor Sun Dong said: "The close partnership among government, industry, academia, research and investment sectors forms the cornerstone of our strategy to unlock new opportunities and drive progress, and our partnerships extend far beyond our borders. The potential for Hong Kong-Mainland collaboration, particularly in the Greater Bay Area , is indeed immense. ASTRI has played a pivotal role in fostering this collaboration. With the opening of its office in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone last year, ASTRI has been instrumental in transforming ideas into impactful solutions that benefit business, society, and the economy."

"The Government earlier proposed the merger of ASTRI and NAMI, a combination of two strong public R&D centres with complementary advantages and shared values, thereby enhancing our capability and capacity for high value-added applied R&D work. We are eager to unleash the integrated power of the new entity and jointly accelerate the development of new quality productive forces," Professor Sun added.

Driving Research Commercialisation

Ir Sunny Lee, Chairman of ASTRI's Board, underscored the summit's role in fostering cross-sector collaborations and showcasing homegrown technologies. "Over the past 25 years, ASTRI has transformed innovative ideas into impactful technologies. By partnering with government departments, universities, industry leaders, and global tech pioneers, we've successfully commercialised breakthrough innovations," said Ir Lee.

He added that ASTRI will strengthen collaboration with other R&D centres, leveraging the combined expertise to provide more comprehensive services for clients. "Our R&D team will focus on emerging technologies such as low-altitude economy, autonomous driving and CV2X, generative AI and more, driving the development of new industrialisation and I&T industry.

During the summit, ASTRI's Acting CEO and COO, Ir Chris Chong, signed memoranda of understanding with key organisations, including China's SUTPC Digital Technology and ConnectX Technology Limited, Prophesee (France), Smart City Association(Korea), as well as Westwell Holdings (Hong Kong) Limited, paving the way for future technology transfer and expanded applications.

From Lab to Market

The summit featured prominent speakers from France, Hong Kong, Korea, Mainland China, Thailand, and the UAE. Among them was Professor Dennis Lo, a pioneer in non-invasive prenatal diagnostics and recipient of the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, shared insights on the commercialisation of plasma DNA diagnostic technology for prenatal and cancer screening.

Ms Mable Chan, Secretary for Transport and Logistics; Dr Sunny Chai, Board Chairman of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation; Mr George He, Lenovo's Senior Vice President and Lenovo Capital and Incubator Group's President, and Mr Hendrick Sin, President of the Internet Professional Association deliver keynote speeches under "An Overview of Low-Altitude Economy Development", "Future Development of Innovation and Technology in Hong Kong", "Advancing I&T Commercialisation through Strategic Corporate-Start-up Collaboration" and "Examining Hong Kong's I&T Development Opportunities – Perspectives on Entrepreneurship and Investment" respectively.

Showcasing Hong Kong's Tech Prowess

The summit features a Technovation Zone, spotlighting 20 local technology enterprises, including startups, corporations, universities and research institutions. Participants such as The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, and the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute, are showcasing the latest R&D achievements across digital health, smart city solutions and FinTech sectors. Innovative technologies on display include: V2G Wall Box, a two-way charging system; Last-Centimeter Drone Delivery in Urban Environments; Smart Site Management System, among others.

These exhibitions highlight Hong Kong's technological capabilities while fostering collaboration and exploring practical applications of cutting-edge technologies across diverse industries. The exhibition will continue as part of ASTRI's Technovation Week, held from 17 to 21 February at the Atrium Link of Hong Kong Science Park.

Related Links
Tech Applied Summit - https://techapplied.astri.org
ASTRI Corporate Website – https://www.astri.org  

 

About ASTRI

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness through applied research. ASTRI's core R&D competence in various areas is grouped under five Technology Divisions: Advanced Electronic Components and Systems; Artificial Intelligence and Trust Technologies; Communications Technologies; Innovative Mind, and IoT Sensing and AI Technologies. It is applied across six core areas which are Smart City, Financial Technologies, New-Industrialisation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Digital Health, Application Specific Integrated Circuits and Metaverse.

Over the years, ASTRI has nurtured a pool of research, I&T talents and received numerous international awards for its pioneering innovations as well as outstanding business and community contributions. ASTRI has transferred more than 1,500 technologies to the industry and has been granted over 1,100 patents in the Mainland, the United States, and other countries. For further information, please visit www.astri.org.

source: Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI)