Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) announced a strategic collaboration with an IT service management company that aims to foster a robust Innovation and Technology (I&T) ecosystem in Hong Kong.
Through this partnership, the two will launch a series of programmes under four key pillars to drive innovation of IT companies, start-ups, and researchers throughout their entire growth cycle – Research & Development, Technology Simulation, Co-incubation, and Talent and Culture Cultivation.
The Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP stated that the Park and the company have been working closely for years in supporting high potential tech ventures to innovate, succeed and grow faster. Moreover, surging demand for cloud computing knowledge and innovative technologies has been observed among businesses.
Thus, this partnership combines the scale and technology expertise of the cloud innovation leader with HKSTP’s R&D, incubation and commercialization capabilities accumulated over the past 20 years, to accelerate the development of Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem while firmly establishing the city’s status as a global innovation hub, the CEO said.
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of the company’s Hong Kong & Taiwan branch stated that the firm is always committed to supporting the digital transformation of enterprises of all scales in Hong Kong. Since 2014, the two have been working together on a number of cloud programmes and training. They are pleased to deepen their relationship with HKSTP and jointly address the various challenges the city faces in terms of talent, innovation, and technology commercialisation.
The collaboration will be on the following aspects:
- Research and Development: HKSTP is joining the company’s Open Data Sponsorship Programme which extends Open Data access through STP Platform, to support local research teams, including those from universities and research laboratories. Utilising the firm’s cloud services, Open Data Sponsorship Programme allows researchers worldwide to share and analyse datasets derived from latest studies on global pandemics, cancer, and more. The collaboration will allow researchers at HKSTP partner companies to improve efficiency while saving costs and time needed for research and data processing.
- Technology Simulation: It is often difficult to predict the success and optimal route for the commercialisation of new technologies in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. The company will support STP Platform to visualise outcomes through Technology Simulation, allowing developers to conduct tests and simulations at lower costs. AWS and HKSTP will also form a ‘train-the-trainer’ programme using AWS RoboMaker, allowing developers to effortlessly simulate applications under virtual 3D environments and test robotics solutions built with different coding languages, all with reduced costs and higher efficiency. Programmes to support the simulation of other emerging technologies will follow.
- Co-incubation: the two will continue to nurture start-ups and support their business growth. Targeting Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) start-ups, the first six-month acceleration programme will provide training and technical and business consultation to help them unlock the potential of SaaS business model, enhance their SaaS products, and ultimately drive business growth and success.
- Talent and Culture Cultivation: To nurture homegrown IT talents, the company will utilise its global training and education resources to equip students and practitioners together with HKSTP. In the first phase, the two will provide technical training in biotechnology and AI for InnoHK clusters, enterprises, and startups. Based on the needs of the participating organisation, the company will also provide tailor-made capacity-building packages including talent training and innovation culture workshops.
