Hong Kong’s universities are home to world-class researchers with deep international networks — yet translating that intellectual capital into actionable policy has never automatically followed. The Chief Executive’s Policy Unit (CEPU) addresses this through two funding programs — the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (PPRFS) and the Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (SPPRFS). Through targeted investment in civil and university think-tank research, these programs catalyze the translation of rigorous academic work into applied policy insights, while drawing on the on-the-ground knowledge of civil think tanks in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Recommendations from funded studies feed into internal papers for the chief executive, grounding decisions in both global best practice and local realities. In the process, the programs strengthen Hong Kong’s broader research ecosystem — fostering partnerships across disciplines, institutions, and boundaries to generate research with real policy impact.
One example illustrates this well. In gearing Hong Kong up as an international hub for post-secondary education and high-caliber talents, the CEPU PPRFS backed a strategic study on the positioning of the Northern Metropolis University Town. Complementing work of the Committee on Development of the Northern Metropolis announced in the 2025 Policy Address, findings from this CEPU-funded study will inform the city’s first university town’s strategy and operations, while highlighting Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area industry collaboration opportunities. This matters because the Northern Metropolis University Town is not only an education project. It is also a test of how Hong Kong can align talent development, research commercialization and Greater Bay Area industry collaboration in one integrated model to generate tangible public value for the city.
Led by Henry Ho Kin-chung of the One Country Two Systems Youth Forum, in partnership with Shenzhen’s China Development Institute (CDI), the study draws lessons from global innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley, Singapore’s One-North, Japan’s Tsukuba Science City, and Guangzhou University Town. What makes this research effort distinctive is the unique composition of its research team that exemplifies cross-boundary collaboration. In bringing Hong Kong and mainland think tanks together, the study leverages CDI’s strong industry and government network in the Greater Bay Area’s mainland area to shape actionable recommendations.
By funding this study, the CEPU created a timely platform for Hong Kong and mainland think tanks to jointly generate policy research insights neither could produce alone. As principal investigator Henry Ho noted, the cross-boundary collaboration between think tanks is “relatively unique and well-suited to the project’s nature”. Research recommendations are set to integrate perspectives from industry experts and government representatives from both sides of the boundary, and provide insights on how best to leverage Hong Kong’s unique strengths to meet national development needs.
In a separate study also funded by the CEPU PPRFS, Professor Joshua Mok Ka-ho, provost and vice-president (academic and research) of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) determined that Hong Kong is steadily establishing itself as a leading destination for high-caliber doctoral talent. Early study findings show that in comparison to Singapore, Malaysia and the United Kingdom, Hong Kong stands out for its generous scholarships, robust research funding, supportive immigration and education policies, and an open, world-class academic environment. These findings are relevant to Hong Kong’s talent strategy and the promotion of the “Study in Hong Kong” brand, as cities compete globally for doctoral students, researchers and innovation talent.
... The Northern Metropolis University Town is not only an education project. It is also a test of how Hong Kong can align talent development, research commercialization and Greater Bay Area industry collaboration in one integrated model to generate tangible public value for the city
With initial findings emerging, the project has moved onto the international stage. In March, Mok was invited to five universities in Singapore to share Hong Kong’s experience. In April, HSUHK coorganized the Annual Conference of the Centre for Global Higher Education with the Centre for Global Higher Education at the University of Oxford, where Mok presented Hong Kong’s model as an international education hub alongside scholars from Singapore, Malaysia, and the UK. CEPU’s funding programs act as a two-way springboard, bringing global insights into Hong Kong while enabling local scholars to share the city’s story abroad. In doing so, CEPU is strengthening Hong Kong’s standing as a hub of research excellence and a contributor to the future of international higher education.
As Mok has observed, “the true value of research lies in its ‘practical’ application and its capacity to drive social progress.” His words convey the essence of CEPU’s goal: to turn rigorous research into public value, and to help local scholars go global and tell the city’s story to the world.
The two studies featured here illustrate what the PPRFS and SPPRFS make possible: research that travels — across boundaries, into international arenas, and back into policy deliberations. One brought Hong Kong and mainland think tanks together to think through a shared development challenge; the other took local findings to Oxford and Singapore. In both cases, the funding programs did not just commission research — they created connections. Over time, it is these connections, between universities, civil think tanks, government, and the wider world, that will give Hong Kong’s policy research ecosystem its depth and reach.
Nicholas Kwan is deputy head of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit and Pamela Tin is the unit’s research director.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.
