Hong Kong’s planned “university town” in the Northern Metropolis will break with tradition by fusing education with industry development, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki told reporters on Friday.

Chan, who will lead a working group on the university town’s planning and construction, confirmed that a 90-hectare site has been earmarked for the project and pledged to quickly lay groundwork by reviewing models of university towns worldwide.

Two days into the 2025 Policy Address’s unveiling on Wednesday, Chan and the secretaries for education, youth affairs, labor, and welfare gathered at a news conference on Friday afternoon to explain the government’s latest priorities and progress, including those of the long-awaited Northern Metropolis.

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Chan said he considers the development area near the Shenzhen border a “pivotal driver” of Hong Kong’s future development, while the university town, which will serve as an “engine” of the township, will further fuel the city’s talent-attraction and research capabilities.

Chan said the land-leveling in Hung Shui Kiu, which is set to provide the first tracts of land for the university town, will be completed by the end of 2026, and the project’s development will adopt an innovative model focusing on coordinated and deep integration of academia and industry.

The development blueprint will also be aligned with both local priorities and national policies, positioning the university town as a catalyst for Hong Kong’s goal of becoming a global education hub.

He also said the administration hopes to increase the number of nonlocal students and increase the number of dormitories to a more diverse talent pool, while maintaining subsidies for local students, thereby strengthening the city’s core competitiveness on the world stage.

Hong Kong’s university leaders have voiced strong support for the government’s Northern Metropolis initiative, deeming it a potent response to their land shortages.

Lam Tai-fai, council chairman of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), was among the education leaders cheering the innovative development of University Town. As noted in a written response earlier, Lam said he hopes PolyU, with the government’s support, could establish a new campus in the Northern Metropolis to overcome the land limitations currently constraining its growth.

John Lee Chi-Kin, president of the Education University of Hong Kong (EdU), confirmed the university’s interest in participating in the development of the university town.

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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) expressed in a statement its hope that the development of the university town will synergize with the innovation and technology initiatives in the San Tin Technopole — a flagship innovation project in the Northern Metropolis, and the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, which is made up of two twin parks, located in Hong Kong’s Northern Metropolis and Shenzhen.

Ian Choy Jing-man, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management, said that from an industry perspective, the new policy is a response to urgent workforce transformation needs.

Choy endorsed the fast-track development of the Northern Metropolis, saying the university town will attract leading universities and research centers and reinforce Hong Kong’s role as a global talent hub.

Contact the writers at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com