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The Hong Kong, Guangdong and Shenzhen governments will support eight applied research and development (R&D) projects under a new category introduced this year under the Hong Kong/Guangdong Technology Co-operation Funding Scheme to enhance Hong Kong's technology collaboration with Guangdong and Shenzhen.
Under this category, projects are to be funded jointly by the Guangdong and Hong Kong authorities or the Shenzhen and Hong Kong authorities. A total of about $63.5 million in funding has been requested by the eight supported projects.
"The new category of co-funded projects marks an important milestone in the co-operation of Hong Kong and Guangdong in undertaking applied research and development. Through closer co-operation and exchanges between the two sides, we hope to enhance the innovative and technological upgrading of Hong Kong and the Guangdong area more effectively," a spokesman for the Innovation and Technology Commission said today (December 20).
"A total of 24 applications under this new category of co-funded projects were received when applications closed on October 22.
"These applications have been vetted by a joint vetting committee comprising officials from the Hong Kong and Guangdong/Shenzhen sides for joint funding support," he said.
Among the eight projects supported, four are to be funded jointly by the Guangdong and Hong Kong authorities while the others are to be funded by the Shenzhen and Hong Kong authorities. The amount requested from the Hong Kong side is about $38 million.
The supported projects are under the technology areas of energy-saving and new energy vehicles; white LED core technologies with high power efficiency; core technologies for RFID, and integrated circuits.
"These technology areas are relevant to the needs of the industry in the Greater Pearl River Delta region. The project applicants from the Hong Kong and Guangdong sides will leverage on their respective strengths and undertake the projects together," the spokesman said.
The funding scheme, first launched in 2004 by the Hong Kong/Guangdong Expert Group on Co-operation in Innovation and Technology, serves to enhance the collaboration between R&D institutions and industry between the two places, and to upgrade the technology level of the industry in the Greater Pearl River Delta region. In the past three years, the two governments have supported some 400 R&D projects with total funding of $1.15 billion.
Apart from the new category introduced this year, there are two categories under the funding scheme. One is for projects to be funded by the Innovation and Technology Fund of Hong Kong. This category is for projects with Hong Kong institutions as principal applicants and Guangdong institutions are encouraged to participate. Applications had to be submitted to the Hong Kong side and 50 applications were received this year. Assessments of the project proposals are underway.
The technology areas to be supported under this category are (1) textiles and clothing; (2) logistics and supply chain management enabling technologies; (3) automotive parts and accessory systems; (4) information and communications technology; (5) modernisation of Chinese medicine, biopharmaceuticals and biomedical engineering, and (6) new energy, energy saving, resources monitoring and environmental technologies. Applications will be vetted either by an assessment panel of businessmen, technologists, academics and government officials or by the respective Research and Development Centres in accordance with their own guidelines and procedures.
The other category is for projects funded by the Guangdong provincial government. This category is for projects with Guangdong institutions as principal applicants but Hong Kong institutions are encouraged to participate. Applications had to be submitted to the Guangdong provincial government.
Details of the scheme can be found on the ITF website at www.itf.gov.hk. Further information can be obtained from the ITF secretariat at 20/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (Tel: 2737 2433/2736 0055; Fax: 2957 8726; Email: enquiry@itf.gov.hk).
Ends/Thursday, December 20, 2007
Issued at HKT 11:55
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