On the afternoon of May 9, International Science, Technology and Innovation Forum of Boao Forum for Asia 2025 Hong Kong Conference Dongguan Promotion was held vibrantly at Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Hong Kong and Macao Youth Entrepreneurship Centre. Concurrently, the “AIST” Roadshow Technology Innovation Day for Hong Kong and Macao youth was also held. The event aimed to inform the innovation, technology, investment, and industrial communities in Dongguan about the upcoming ISTIF 2025 Hong Kong Conference, scheduled on 6–7 June, and to showcase recent achievements in sci-tech collaboration between Dongguan and Hong Kong, with a view to further deepening and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation.
As an international manufacturing center and technology commercialization hub in the Greater Bay Area, Dongguan has continuously promoted industrial transformation through scientific and technological innovation in recent years. By leveraging major scientific infrastructure clusters, the city has developed a full-chain innovation system encompassing fundamental research, key technology breakthroughs, result commercialization, and enterprise incubation. Dongguan has demonstrated strong international competitiveness in emerging fields such as next-generation information technology, intelligent manufacturing, and new energy, while fostering increasingly close and fruitful interactions with Hong Kong’s industrial sector.
Distinguished guests attending the promotion event include Huang Deyu, Head of the Innovation-Driven Center for Leading Science and Technology Talents in the the Greater Bay Area (Dongguan); Gao Hong, General Manager of GroupSense and Executive Vice President of the Changan Sub-Association of the Dongguan City Association of Enterprises With Foreign Investment; Sun Yixing, Investment Director of Hong Kong Inno Angel Fund; Zhan Guangjiu, Chairman of Guangdong Liwan Capital and Executive President of the Dongguan Private Equity Association; Dai Qing, Chairman of Wance Capital; Ye Lin of Dongguan Science and Technology Capital Investment Management Co., Ltd.; as well as representatives from the Hong Kong Industry University Research Collaboration Association, the Innovation-Driven Center (Dongguan), “Sci-Tech Guangdong” (Zhuhai), the Binhaiwan Community, and other organizations from the tech innovation ecosystem. About 50–60 guests and media representatives from academia, industry, investment, and incubation platforms participated in the event, engaging in active exchanges and highlighting the vast potential for sci-tech synergy in the Greater Bay Area.
Dongguan and Hong Kong Join Forces to Foster a New Integrated Ecosystem of Industry-Academia-Research Collaboration
At the promotion event, Mr. Li Guangtao, Managing Director of YI WU International Exhibition Co., Ltd., the Executive Unit of ISTIF, offered a comprehensive overview of the ISTIF 2025 Hong Kong Conference, covering its key sessions, overall arrangement, and participation policies. He emphasized that ISTIF will focus on cutting-edge topics such as artificial intelligence, green technology, smart manufacturing, and international tech governance, aiming to build a high-level platform for scientific exchange between Asia and the world. Dongguan, as a vital manufacturing center in the Greater Bay Area, brings a robust industrial chain, an active innovation ecosystem, and wide-ranging application scenarios that invigorate the region’s sci-tech development. Mr. Li welcomed more enterprises, universities, and research institutions from Dongguan to take part in the conference and help drive the internationalization of technology innovation in the Bay Area. He also noted that while Hong Kong offers a cutting-edge research environment and an international talent pool, Dongguan boasts strong manufacturing capabilities and rapid commercialization. Together, the two cities enjoy broad space for collaboration in project incubation, technology application, talent training, and cross-border investment.
Deep Integration of Industry-Academia-Investment: Exploring New Paths for Dongguan–Hong Kong Cooperation
At the event, Mr. Wang Haoyan from the Hong Kong Industry University Research Collaboration Association delivered a keynote speech titled “Deep Integration of Sci-tech and Industrial Innovation”. He stated, “Hong Kong is the ‘brain’ of internationalization for Dongguan enterprises, while Dongguan serves as the ‘hands and feet’ for Hong Kong’s sci-tech achievements.” The two cities form the golden triangle of the Greater Bay Area’s “technology + manufacturing + global expansion.” Their resources in the field of sci-tech are highly complementary, and the synergy between Hong Kong’s international research strength and Dongguan’s industrial application capability is injecting powerful momentum into regional innovation.
To further deepen the Greater Bay Area sci-tech collaboration and promote the integrated development of AI and smart terminal technologies, the Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Hong Kong and Macao Youth Entrepreneurship Centre launched the “Artificial Intelligence and Smart Terminals Co-Incubation and Acceleration Program” (AIST) on March 21, 2025. This roadshow featured projects in industrial robotics, smart healthcare, and the Internet of Things, showcasing the entrepreneurial energy and technological strength of young innovators across the Greater Bay Area. During the enterprise roadshow session, seven company representatives focused on AI and MedTech, shared Dongguan’s latest breakthroughs and industrial layouts, and explored collaborative opportunities with Hong Kong enterprises. The initiative aims to facilitate efficient integration of regional resources and empower the high-quality growth of tech companies through a comprehensive support chain of technology transfer, innovation incubation, industrial acceleration, and capital support.
The successful hosting of the Dongguan Promotion not only demonstrated Dongguan’s strength in sci-tech innovation but also highlighted Hong Kong’s openness and proactive attitude in global collaboration. Attending guests expressed high expectations for the upcoming ISTIF 2025 Hong Kong Conference. Amid the rapid evolution of global technology and deepening regional integration, the ISTIF 2025 Hong Kong Conference is poised to become a catalyst for the convergence of Asian and global innovation ecosystems, injecting new vitality into global science and technology development.