Editor’s note

This is the inaugural installment of a series of in-depth stories dedicated to the fourth annivesary of Shenzhen being tasked with building a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This series aims to showcase some of the impressive strides Shenzhen has made within a short span of four years.

Chen Siqi

vankochensq@163.com

THE Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone (HTCZ), situated on the border between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, is regarded as a hub for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship.

It consists of two areas: the 3.02-square-kilometer Shenzhen portion, which includes Huanggang Checkpoint and Futian Bonded Zone, and the 0.87-square-kilometer Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park on the Hong Kong side.

To attract talented individuals and businesses to settle in the zone, the governments of Shenzhen and Hong Kong have jointly launched a policy package to facilitate the movement of talent, access to scientific research resources, and business development.

Claiming to be the sole specialized platform focused on science and technology innovation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), the zone, which possesses distinct advantages in terms of its strategic location, institutional support and spatial layout, has been witnessing many innovation and entrepreneurship stories.

Technological

environment

From her office in Changfu Jinmao Mansion in the Shenzhen part of HTCZ, the tallest building in the zone, Guo Yuhang can relish the mesmerizing panoramic view of the zone. Guo, a Hong Kong entrepreneur and co-founder of Shenzhen WST Innovative Education Co. Ltd. — a startup specializing in project-based learning for primary and secondary school students — made the decision to relocate her company to HTCZ from Nanshan District in April.     (Continued on P2)

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“It is very convenient for me to commute between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and I appreciate the abundant scientific resources and satisfying technological environment here,” Guo said.

After graduating from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Guo and her partners established WST in 2017. With the help of Blue Bay Incubator, an innovation and entrepreneurship incubation platform founded by HKUST in Shenzhen, the company set up an office in Nanshan District.

In 2020, Blue Bay Incubator collaborated with HTCZ to launch another base in Changfu Jinmao Mansion.

The base houses laboratories and company offices, providing a suitable environment for scientific entrepreneurs and facilitating their connections with professors from HKUST.

Guo recognized the benefits of being able to design courses based on professors’ ongoing research.

“I can organize students to explore the laboratories and cutting-edge technologies developed by companies in the zone in order to spark their interest in scientific research,” she said.

Apart from Blue Bay Incubator, there are five other incubation bases in the cooperation zone dedicated to supporting young entrepreneurs from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao.

Guo sees great future prospects in the cooperation zone. “It has great potential in attracting more talented individuals and enterprises due to its well-equipped facilities,” Guo said.

Cross-border

cooperation

In 2018, CU Coding, a Hong Kong company focusing on network coding technology, established its headquarters in the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP).

When the Shenzhen branch of HKSTP opened in the Hetao zone in June, CU Coding set up an office in the zone.

The branch, covering 21,000 square meters, aims to help Hong Kong companies expand businesses in the GBA.

“We enjoy the favorable measures in the Hetao zone. The cooperation zone exempts office rents for us and allows us to pilot our technologies in the park,” Aldous Ng, co-founder of CU Coding, said.

CU Coding has set up a digital-twin platform that enables cross-border data transmission between the two parks in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Its network coding technology developed by professors at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) enhances information security and network reliability during transmission.

More about HTCZ

BY June 2023, a total of 10 specialized science and innovation parks with a combined research space of 800,000 square meters had been established in HTCZ. Notable completed projects include the GBA Digital Economy Research Institute (Futian), Shenzhen-Hong Kong Collaborative Innovation Center, Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Science Park, International Quantum Research Institute, and Shenzhen Innovation Center for State-owned Assets and Enterprises.

These parks have successfully attracted high-end scientific research resources from Hong Kong and foreign countries. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Science and Technology Park, in particular, houses scientific research institutions affiliated with four prestigious Hong Kong universities.

More than 150 high-end science and innovation projects are being implemented within this zone. On average, there are 50 high-end projects per square kilometer.

Additionally, over 300 individuals from 24 entrepreneurial teams from Hong Kong and Macao have been stationed in the incubator acceleration platforms, leading to the granting of 203 patents.

As per the Northern Metropolis plan unveiled by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2021, a 627-hectare tech town called San Tin Technopole will be built based on the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park and the Lok Ma Chau/San Tin area. San Tin Technopole is expected to become an important engine for Hong Kong to build the future Silicon Valley of its own.       (SD Agencies)