Historic letter to Xi sparked golden era for fruitful collaboration with mainland
Nearly a decade of booming cross-boundary collaboration in science and technology between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Chinese mainland began with a single letter to President Xi Jinping from a renowned Hong Kong scientist and fellow academicians, who advocated that national sci-tech funding be cleared for cross-boundary use.
The momentum, which continues to gain pace today, began in 2017 when Hong Kong scientist Nancy Ip Yuk-yu and 23 fellow academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering sent the letter to Xi.
Before mid-2017, the research community in Hong Kong was facing hurdles to participating in the nation's rapid sci-tech development, Ip recalled. Access to national research funding was proving to be a major stumbling block for Hong Kong researchers, preventing potential collaborations with the mainland, and Hong Kong-made scientific equipment faced tariffs when entering the mainland.
The academicians' aspirations brought a swift response from Xi, unlocking a highly fruitful, decadelong golden era of cross-boundary technological cooperation between Hong Kong and the mainland.
Today, a grander vision is taking shape. The Hong Kong SAR is poised to play a pivotal role in propelling the nation to becoming a technological powerhouse under the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), Ip said in an exclusive interview with China Daily ahead of the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland on July 1.
Ip, a renowned neuroscientist and president of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, reflected upon the decade-long improvement in Hong Kong's research environment and national support. She pledged further contributions toward the nation's strategic goal of technological self-reliance.
In an unprecedented move in June 2017, hoping to better integrate the Hong Kong SAR into the nation's scientific development, Ip and 23 other Hong Kong-based academicians wrote the letter to Xi, outlining the challenges they faced.
Xi responded quickly and instructed relevant authorities to follow up.
The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance then promulgated provisions on opening up science and technology funding of the central government for use by higher education institutions and research institutions in Hong Kong.
This included arrangements for cross-boundary utilization of approved project funding to the SAR.
By September that year, a pilot program was in place, allowing cross-boundary use of research funding at two laboratories — one at HKUST and one at University of Hong Kong. By April 2018, 22 State-level labs in Hong Kong had been approved to receive a total of 22 million yuan ($3.24 million).
Chan Ching-chuen, Hong Kong's first academician elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was a co-signatory of the letter to Xi.
The swift response from Xi to the letter, which conveyed the aspirations of Hong Kong scientists to contribute to the nation's needs, injected confidence in Hong Kong's sci-tech sector, said Chan, who is widely lauded for being the "father of Asian electric vehicles".
Deepened collaboration
Chan added that, catalyzed by Xi's response, the mainland and Hong Kong have deepened sci-tech collaboration in a growing number of areas, with Lai Ka-ying, a Hong Kong payload expert, currently at the nation's space mission aboard the Tiangong space station. Lai is the first female Chinese civilian from Hong Kong to reach outer space.
Following Xi's instructions, Hong Kong's sci-tech sector has ushered in a new era of development by integrating into the nation's development, Chan said, noting extended cooperation over the past decade in areas such as aerospace, new energy, artificial intelligence and transportation.
This is the living embodiment of Hong Kong leveraging its distinctive advantages to serve the nation's needs, he said.
Since receiving the letter, support from the central government has been "never-ending", with policy barriers falling and more opportunities opening for Hong Kong scientists to join national projects, Ip said.
Not only the central government, but also Guangdong's provincial and municipal authorities have opened research funding to Hong Kong scientists.
In 2022, Xi visited the InnoHK Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, and encouraged researchers to constantly pursue excellence and contribute to the nation's scientific endeavors.
During Xi's visit, Ip, who leads the center, explained its self-developed blood test technology for Alzheimer's disease. The technology analyzes specific proteins and predicts the risk of developing Alzheimer's up to 15 years before symptoms appear, enabling early intervention.
The neuroscientist said she appreciated Xi's care and high expectations for Hong Kong scientists, as he was always encouraging them to produce greater results and, more important, translate the results into tangible applications.
"I clearly remember him asking what he could do to help our research results 'land' and make them widely available to benefit humanity," Ip said.
Xi's expectations also have become key goals of the center.
By refining the technology, the HKUST team reduced the Alzheimer's blood protein panel from 21 to three, cutting costs by 80 percent while maintaining over 90 percent accuracy.
"As one of the inventors, I'm excited to see our (Alzheimer's) blood test technology moving from the lab into clinical settings and communities," said Jason Jiang Yuanbing, a research assistant professor in HKUST's Division of Life Science, who demonstrated the blood test technology during Xi's visit. "Through collaboration across the mainland and overseas, we're getting closer to making this innovation more accessible to help meet the needs of an aging society," Jiang said.
Mok Kin-ying, chief medical officer of the center and head of clinical partnerships at HKUST's School of Medicine, said: "Over the past decade, Hong Kong and the mainland have seen much closer exchange and collaboration in science and technology. Looking ahead, we hope this momentum will further strengthen research and healthcare services and deliver tangible benefits to people on both sides."
In recent years, and especially now, since the 15th Five-Year Plan has set technological self-reliance as a national goal, Ip said that she has felt the nation's unprecedented commitment to sci-tech development. As president of HKUST, the educator holds high hopes for the city's young generation of researchers.
Shadow Li contributed to this story.
