A 20 member delegation of international innovation and technology professionals spent five days touring major technology centres in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, examining investment opportunities, research facilities and pathways for launching businesses across the Greater Bay Area.
Organised by Hong Kong Talent Engage from September 7 to 11, the programme brought together winners of an innovation hackathon held in Germany in June and representatives of the EuroTech Federation, giving participants direct access to research institutions, technology companies and start ups operating across the region.
The tour covered Hong Kong, Qianhai in Shenzhen and Nansha in Guangzhou. It was designed to give overseas technology professionals a practical understanding of how the three cities connect their expertise, infrastructure, capital and markets.
Delegation visits major technology centres
The five day programme included visits to several of Hong Kong's best known research and innovation facilities.
Among them were Cyberport and Hong Kong Science Park, two of the city's established technology clusters. Delegates also visited the Hong Kong Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park at the Lok Ma Chau Loop and the Northern Metropolis, where large scale development plans are creating new opportunities for technology businesses and research activity.
The programme moved beyond formal presentations. Delegates met representatives from research institutes, established technology enterprises and emerging start ups, allowing them to discuss how companies operate in the region and what support is available to businesses looking to establish a presence in Hong Kong.
Artificial intelligence, robotics, intelligent transportation and biotechnology were among the areas covered during the exchanges.
For the visiting professionals, those meetings offered an opportunity to compare technology ecosystems rather than simply view individual facilities. Discussions also covered government support programmes aimed at attracting companies and international professionals.
The itinerary then extended across the border into Shenzhen and Guangzhou, giving the delegation a wider view of the Greater Bay Area's interconnected technology and business network.
Connecting international talent with regional opportunities
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk han said the study mission was intended to bring international talent closer to technology, capital and market resources in the region.
The government wants skilled professionals to consider Hong Kong not only as a place to pursue employment but also as a base from which to establish companies and develop new ventures.
Sun said the National 15th Five Year Plan supports Hong Kong's development as an international innovation and technology centre as well as an international hub for high caliber talent.
He said the government would continue improving schemes designed to attract professionals from overseas and strengthening the city's innovation ecosystem.
The administration also plans to work more closely with other cities in the Greater Bay Area to attract skilled professionals whose expertise fits with wider development priorities.
The approach reflects the increasingly cross border nature of technology businesses. A company developing software in Hong Kong, for example, may work with research teams in Shenzhen, access manufacturing networks elsewhere in the region and target consumers across a much larger market.
For international entrepreneurs, understanding those connections can influence decisions about where to establish a business, recruit staff and seek investment.
Shenzhen and Guangzhou add another layer
The inclusion of Qianhai in Shenzhen and Nansha in Guangzhou gave delegates a chance to examine technology development beyond Hong Kong.
Qianhai has developed as a major platform for financial, commercial and technological cooperation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Nansha, meanwhile, forms part of Guangzhou's efforts to strengthen its position as a centre for advanced industries and cross border cooperation.
The delegation's five day itinerary therefore provided exposure to different parts of the same regional economic network.
Participants were able to see how Hong Kong's international connections and professional services can work alongside the manufacturing capacity, supply chains, research capabilities and commercial networks found across neighbouring mainland cities.
Those connections can matter particularly to early stage technology companies. Start ups often need access to funding at different stages of development, specialist suppliers, engineering expertise and routes to larger markets.
The delegates' discussions focused on these practical questions, including how businesses can move from an initial idea to product development and eventually commercialisation.
Artificial intelligence entrepreneur considers Hong Kong venture
One artificial intelligence entrepreneur who took part in the delegation said the experience had changed her understanding of the region's connectivity and collaboration networks.
The exposure encouraged her to consider launching new ventures in Hong Kong, according to Hong Kong Talent Engage.
Her response reflects one of the programme's central aims. Rather than relying on general presentations about Hong Kong's business environment, the tour gave participants the chance to meet people working inside the technology sector and observe the links between Hong Kong and neighbouring mainland cities.
For entrepreneurs, those relationships can be particularly useful during the early stages of building a technology company.
Access to financing is one consideration. So are logistics, hardware supply chains and commercialisation. A company may have strong research or product development capabilities but still need manufacturing partners, distribution networks or access to a wider customer base before it can expand.
The Greater Bay Area offers access to those resources across multiple cities, while Hong Kong provides an international business environment and connections to overseas markets.
Support extends beyond business opportunities
Hong Kong Talent Engage said its role does not end when international professionals decide to move to the city.
Director Felix Chan said the office would continue its international outreach to promote career and business opportunities throughout the Greater Bay Area.
The office also provides one stop settlement support for professionals and their families arriving in Hong Kong.
That assistance is intended to address practical issues that can influence whether overseas talent chooses to relocate. Establishing a career or company involves more than finding an office or securing investment. Professionals and their families also need to consider housing, education, daily services and the process of settling into a new city.
By providing support across those areas, Hong Kong Talent Engage aims to make relocation easier for international professionals considering opportunities in Hong Kong.
Chan said the office would continue working to strengthen Hong Kong's position as an international hub for talent.
Hackathon winners get first hand view of the region
The delegation included winners of an innovation hackathon co organised in Germany in June by Hong Kong Talent Engage and the EuroTech Federation.
The participation of the hackathon winners gave the programme a direct link to international innovation networks. Instead of ending when the competition finished, the relationship between the organisers and participants continued through the Greater Bay Area study mission.
Representatives of the EuroTech Federation also joined the delegation, providing an additional connection between European technology professionals and organisations in Hong Kong and the mainland cities visited during the tour.
The programme demonstrates how innovation competitions, talent attraction efforts and business development initiatives can be combined to create longer term connections between technology communities.
For Hong Kong, attracting international technology talent is also part of a broader effort to expand its innovation sector and strengthen links with the wider Greater Bay Area.
A regional model for technology collaboration
The five day programme offered participants a view of a technology ecosystem that extends beyond a single city.
Hong Kong brings international business links, financial services, professional expertise and access to global markets. Shenzhen provides a large technology and manufacturing base, while Guangzhou offers another major centre for industry, research and commercial activity.
The combination creates opportunities for companies that need different resources at different stages of growth.
The delegation's visits to research centres, technology companies and start ups allowed participants to examine those connections directly. Government support schemes also formed part of the discussions, giving overseas professionals a clearer picture of the assistance available when establishing operations in the city.
For Hong Kong Talent Engage, the next step is to turn these visits into lasting relationships.
The office plans to continue reaching out to international professionals and promoting opportunities across Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, while offering settlement assistance to those who decide to move.
The delegation has now returned from its five day programme with a clearer view of the region's technology network. The question for the participating entrepreneurs and professionals is what they will build from those new connections, and whether Hong Kong can turn that interest into the next generation of technology ventures.