Advertisement
Opinion | How Hong Kong universities can help lead Greater Bay Area’s innovation push
- With five universities ranked in the world’s top 100, Hong Kong can fuel regional growth through innovation, research and education
- The city’s capacity for world-class education and research will help preserve its global status and add value to the region
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
4
As one contemplates the future of the Greater Bay Area, much has been made of what the blueprint for the region can bring to Hong Kong. However, it is time to flip the narrative and emphasise the strategic value Hong Kong can bring to the ambitious plans for the region’s future.
Advertisement
In the World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2020 Global Innovation Index, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong came second among the world’s top 100 science and technology clusters, which is an impressive achievement. The next five years will see Shenzhen alone investing more than 700 billion yuan (US$109 billion) in research, development and innovation.
With such investment comes demand for well-trained scientists and technologists. In response, Shenzhen is investing major financial and reputational capital in a range of programmes to attract top research talent. It plans to build up to 20 higher education institutions by 2025 to power the hi-tech industries of the future.
Yet, despite being home to China’s largest provincial economy, Guangdong’s gross tertiary enrolment ratio of 46 per cent falls significantly behind the national average of 54 per cent. Mainland China has six universities in the QS top 100 world ranking, yet Guangdong province only managed to break into the top 300 with Guangzhou’s Sun Yat-sen University coming in at 263rd.
The region’s technological and industrial transformation will only be possible if it produces enough highly skilled professionals and attracts enough research talent to power its future economy.
05:25
Hong Kong's competitive edge questioned as Xi says Shenzhen is engine of China’s Greater Bay Area
Hong Kong's competitive edge questioned as Xi says Shenzhen is engine of China’s Greater Bay Area
This is where Hong Kong comes in. With five of the city’s eight publicly funded universities in the QS top 100 world university rankings, Hong Kong is a global powerhouse of innovation, research and education. Several of our universities have announced plans to establish satellites or branch campuses across the border, which will add capacity to the region’s higher education and research ecosystem.
Advertisement
Advertisement