Shenzhen and Hong Kong have come together to jointly build a world-class scientific research hub in the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone. The State Council recently issued the “Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone Shenzhen Park Development Plan,” which provides new opportunities for the development of the cooperation zone.
The Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone is located in the cross-border zone between the northern part of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the south-central part of Shenzhen City. It covers an area of 3.89 square kilometers, with the Hong Kong Park covering 0.87 square kilometers and the Shenzhen Park covering 3.02 square kilometers. The two parks are separated by a river, with two land ports, Futian Port and Huanggang Port, serving as the main docking points for Shenzhen-Hong Kong scientific and technological innovation cooperation.
The Hetao Shenzhen Park has attracted 10 high-quality scientific research projects from 5 universities, including the University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, since the cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong began in 2017. It has also established 5 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao youth innovation and entrepreneurship bases. To meet the needs of the technology industry, the park has been undergoing rapid transformation, with the Huanggang port area being converted into a scientific research space with a total construction area of about 1 million square meters. The Futian Free Trade Zone is also seeing new office buildings and the transformation of factories and warehouses into laboratories. It is estimated that by 2035, the new scientific research and supporting space will exceed 3 million square meters.
The Hetao Shenzhen Park has become a hub for scientific and technological innovation, attracting resources and promoting the concentration of scientific and technological innovation in the park. It focuses on three key directions: life science, information science, and material science. The park has already achieved significant innovation, with projects like Future Robotics (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. demonstrating the effectiveness of Shenzhen-Hong Kong cooperation. The company, founded by CEO Li Luyang, has seen significant growth since moving to the park, with over 500 employees and more than 40% of orders coming from the international market.
The Hetao Shenzhen Park has also attracted major national scientific research platforms and R&D centers of many Fortune 500 companies. There are currently over 150 high-end scientific research projects being implemented in the park.
The introduction of the “Plan” is expected to help break through the constraints faced by Shenzhen and Hong Kong in terms of cross-border flow of technological innovation elements, open sharing of resources, and technological industry collaboration. It aims to promote international scientific and technological innovation, build an internationally competitive industrial pilot transformation base, create an international scientific and technological innovation system and mechanism, and establish a scientific and technological cooperation platform that gathers global wisdom.
The announcement of the “Plan” has injected new impetus into the development and cooperation of innovation and technology between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will continue to actively cooperate with Shenzhen to promote the advantages of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone under the principles of “one country, two systems” and “one district, two parks.” This joint effort aims to make Hetao Shenzhen Park an international science and technology innovation hub.