The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Techno-Entrepreneurship Academy officially opened on Wednesday at the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub (E-Hub) in Shenzhen, reports Shenzhen Commercial Daily.

The inaugural batch of 11 resident projects span the fields of artificial intelligence, life and health, new energy, and new materials.

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Mingxin Huang, a professor from HKU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, leads Dynano Semiconductor Technology Company, which has established an office at E-Hub and plans to commence small-scale production in October.

Highlighting the importance of the longstanding collaboration between Qianhai and Hong Kong, Huang said E-Hub provides an ideal environment for research and development firms to explore market opportunities.

The establishment of the HKU Techno-Entrepreneurship Academy has been hailed a milestone in the strategic cooperation agreement signed in 2022 between HKU and the Qianhai Authority, which oversees the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone.

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To attract entrepreneurial teams from Hong Kong, the Qianhai Authority announced in late August a concessionary office rental rate of "one yuan per square meter" per month at E-Hub.

Startups aiming to qualify must operate in fields such as artificial intelligence, embodied intelligence, and life and health technology, and have secured equity investment from professional institutions or received funding from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, statutory bodies, or universities.