Hong Kong’s leading applied-research body has weighed in with suggestions on the key development industries and the path for commercialization of technology to be applied to the city’s first five-year plan, expected in the third quarter of this year.

Huang Ying, chief technology officer of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), disclosed the institute's policy suggestion in a recent interview with China Daily.

Huang said the proposals include urging the authorities of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to deeply explore various artificial-intelligence technologies and advanced materials in a way that closely aligns with industries’ real needs.

ASTRI also elaborates in detail to the SAR government on the advantages and implementation paths for such technologies to integrate with industries in the city, and attaches a large number of practical cases for reference.

ALSO READ: HK boosts its role as knowledge and innovation hub

The proposals aim to enhance Hong Kong’s strengths in converting self-developed innovations into commercial solutions, Huang said.

Huang said that while Hong Kong’s research apparatus excels at producing high-caliber scientific knowledge, it is less adept at capturing the commercial dividends of that intellectual labor, partly due to the city’s underdeveloped high-tech industrial chain – semiconductors and advanced manufacturing being conspicuous weak spots – and the consequent lack of substantial industrial counterparts with the capacity to take innovations from local laboratories to scale.

To break the imbalance, Huang called on Hong Kong’s scientists to take the lead on raising their attention to commercial realities much earlier in the research cycle – at the project-design stage, for instance – and suggested the city’s gatekeepers of public research funding, including ASTRI, require developers to seriously consider “real customers”, so that projects are built around a clear understanding of industry's actual pain points.

Turning to the technology transfer phase, Huang said that the “government-backed, local pilots” mode is one of the most effective mechanisms for testing and iteratively fine-tuning products before their official commercial launch.

He said that with proven technology, teams must proactively leverage Hong Kong’s unique geopolitical and economic vantage point – its connectivity linking the local, Chinese mainland and global markets – to learn how different regions operate and how that technology can be adapted accordingly to fit a broader spectrum of real-world cases across different cultural and regulatory landscapes.

READ MORE: High hopes on HK to spearhead innovation

Hong Kong’s superconnector credentials are on full display, Huang said, citing the three-day LEAP East 2026 technology fair – which begins on Wednesday – as the latest evidence of the city’s bridging power and a great opportunity for local businesses and researchers to familiarize themselves with external market needs and to initiate international partnerships.

Held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, LEAP East marks the first expansion of the globally recognized technology platform originating from the Middle East into the Asia-Pacific region.

ASTRI took its technologies to the exhibition floor as well, displaying a lineup of advanced solutions across renewable energy, intelligent mobility, sustainable construction and green innovation.

Huang said ASTRI came to the LEAP platform not only to be seen, but to cultivate stronger connections with Middle Eastern markets and their research communities, to get a “precise, firsthand” understanding of how high-tech innovations are currently being adapted to meet the industrial pain points facing economies in the regions.

He said that on the opening day of the exhibition, ASTRI held productive talks with several Middle Eastern-based research bodies – and has gained reaffirmation that, among others, AI, information and communications technology, green and low-carbon solutions, plus battery and advanced energy storage materials are compelling areas that speak directly to Middle Eastern market demand.

He attributed this convergence crucially to a broader context, as many Middle Eastern countries are now navigating a high-stakes bid to reduce their reliance on oil and gas revenues, diversify their economies, and make sustainability goals a part of their future growth.

Huang added that Hong Kong – bolstered by strong local research-and-development capabilities, globally aligned legal and industry standards systems, and ready access to the mainland – has been uniquely placed to forge a “value-added, two-way flow”.

He said the idea is to make mainland innovations travel outward through the city, international expertise flow inward, and Hong Kong’s homegrown technologies add value to both, yielding integrated products built for a world whose needs outstrip what any one place can offer.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com