Acting Chief Executive, Chan Kwok-ki (center), attends the plaque unveiling ceremony of academician workstation of the China State Construction International Holdings Limited, on March 17, 2023. Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Yin Zonghua (sixth right); Deputy Financial Secretary, Michael Wong (fourth left); Chairman of the Board of Directors of China State Construction, Zheng Xuexuan (sixth left); Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China, Li Rusheng (fifth right); academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering Chen Xiangsheng (fourth right); Secretary for Development, Bernadette Linn (third left), and other guests are also seen in the photo. (PHOTO COURTESY OF HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

HONG KONG – The first technological innovation center to be led by a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering was unveiled in Hong Kong on Friday.

The center aims to promote scientific research collaboration of innovative construction solutions between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong.

CAE is the highest honorary and advisory academic institution in the fields of engineering sciences and technology. Membership of the CAE is the highest academic title in engineering sciences and technology in China.

Hong Kong’s acting Chief Executive Eric Chan Kwok-ki said at the opening ceremony that the launch of the Technovation Center represents a groundbreaking occasion to promote the integration of construction technologies between Hong Kong and the mainland.

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“The establishment is in line with the future development direction of Hong Kong in the aspects of innovation and technology. I look forward to future collaborations of the HKSAR government and respective industries with the Technovation Center to bring the construction technologies of Hong Kong and the mainland to the next level.”

I believe it will play a very significant role in advancing the development of not only the nation’s construction industry, but also the infrastructure construction in Hong Kong.

Chen Xiangsheng, Member, Chinese Academy of Engineering

The Technovation Center is led by CAE member Chen Xiangsheng, who is also an organizing committee member of the International Symposium on Ground Freezing and an expert in tunnel, underground and special geotechnical construction.

Chen said, “through this national platform, we can team up with universities and business communities in Hong Kong, and jointly develop a comprehensive chain of funding, industry, government, academy, research and commercialization.”

The influence of the Technovation Center will have “twice the result with half the effort”, Chen said. “I believe it will play a very significant role in advancing the development of not only the nation’s construction industry, but also the infrastructure construction in Hong Kong.”

He said that one task of the Technovation Center is to create a new system of building information modeling, which is a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building or infrastructure.

The center was jointly founded by the CAE and China State Construction International Holdings, a construction powerhouse, engaged in building construction and civil engineering operations.

Wang Xiaoguang, executive director and CEO of the firm, said they will carry out collaborative research and development of key technologies related to major projects in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

“We hope to establish a technological innovation platform, uniting experts in the construction industry from all over the country and even from overseas, and to consolidate Hong Kong’s talent and technology strength,” he said.

“Hand in hand with the Technovation Center, we will focus on study and research in fields such as geotechnical and underground engineering, tunnel engineering, marine engineering, and utilization of construction waste,” Wang said.

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The new organization provides the latest demonstration of the central government’s strong support for Hong Kong to pursue high-quality development and economic growth through innovation and technology development.

It follows an agreement signed by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Ministry of Science and Technology on Wednesday, which will usher in a new stage of cross-border sci-tech collaboration.

The agreement covers research, resource sharing, commercialization of scientific research achievements and talent exchanges.

Contact the writer at grace@chinadailyhk.com