With its world-class universities, advanced research facilities and a vibrant ecosystem, Hong Kong provides an integrated platform for life and health technology companies to innovate and grow from research and development (R&D) to clinical trials and commercialization, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said on Wednesday.
“Hong Kong offers an open ecosystem for innovation to thrive,” Sun said at the opening ceremony of BIOHK2026, Asia's premier international biotechnology conference and exhibition held annually in Hong Kong.
Referring to the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou region’s ranking first in the Global Innovation Index 2026 top 100 innovation clusters, he said this affirms that Hong Kong's efforts in fostering effective collaboration among the government, industry, academic, research and investment sectors are on the right track.
“As Hong Kong accelerates its development into an international innovation and technology center, life and health technology stands at the very core of our strategic vision. We are taking every step to strengthen our R&D capabilities.”
The Health@InnoHK cluster continues to develop itself into a holistic research hub on life sciences, accelerating breakthroughs in biomedicine and genomics, he said.
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The SAR government will set up the Life and Health Technology Research Institute, which will operate on a "1+3" model, with a main institute focusing on "artificial intelligence + life sciences", and three branch institutes established by local universities based on their specific research strengths such as medical diagnostics, advanced therapies, and neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly, Sun added.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau pointed out that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will announce the 2026 Policy Address and the city’s first five-year plan next week in alignment with the national 15th Five-Year Plan, which has named biomedicine as one of the emerging industries of strategic importance.
“Hong Kong is already on the road as we are firmly committed to becoming an international health and medical innovation hub. Biotechnology is no longer an aspiration — it is a national and regional imperative, and Hong Kong is answering that call with conviction and speed,” said Lo.
He stressed the need to match technological innovation with institutional and policy innovation from the SAR government to create a proactive and supportive ecosystem to turn frontier science into clinical reality.
The government established the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone to drive cross-border clinical trial efficiency through the national "one zone, two parks" model with its Shenzhen counterpart, said the health chief.
“Through this GBA Clinical Trial Collaboration Platform, we are accelerating multicenter trials and targeting a 30-percent improvement in patient recruitment and trial initiation time.”
Building on that foundation, the Real-World Study and Application Centre was established in late 2025 to standardize and integrate clinical data — including real-world evidence generated under the "special measure of using Hong Kong-registered drugs and medical devices used in Hong Kong public hospitals in the Greater Bay Area", which now covers 162 medical products across 71 designated Greater Bay Area institutions, he said.
The four-day conference features 600 speakers and investors with 20 keynote speeches and 100 themed forums. The organizers expect 15,000 onsite visitors and 550,000 online attendees from over 40 countries and regions.
