Zhejiang University is stepping up efforts to connect its research with Hong Kong’s industrial needs and financing networks, aiming to bring more laboratory breakthroughs to market and strengthen its global standing through the special administrative region’s international connections, speakers said at the Zhejiang University Innovation Forum 2026 • Hong Kong on Thursday.

Co-hosted by Zhejiang University (HK) Education Fund and Zhejiang University Hong Kong Alumni Association, the event brought together nearly 300 government and industry representatives, researchers, entrepreneurs and investors. It focused on artificial intelligence, biomedicine and other frontier technologies. Sixty projects were featured, including 30 presented in pitch sessions.

ALSO READ: Beijing, HK boost investment ties

Ma Yanming, the university’s president and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the forum would explore ways to connect its research outcomes with industrial application scenarios in Hong Kong and help university-linked startups expand internationally through the city.

He said the university — which is located in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province — is deepening its international engagement, with efforts covering talent recruitment and development, scientific research, and university governance.

“The HKSAR is an important gateway for China’s opening-up and a key strategic base for Zhejiang University to strengthen its global engagement and international reputation,” Ma said.

READ MORE: Investors called for seizing Asia’s potential at HK forum

During his trip, Ma renewed an academic exchange agreement with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and announced plans for a joint innovation center with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Ma said he will visit the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on Friday to discuss further cooperation.

Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, convenor of the nonofficial members of the HKSAR’s Executive Council, said technology companies expanding overseas often face obstacles involving intellectual property, cross-border capital flows and regulatory approvals.

Hong Kong’s value, she said, lies not simply in providing a market but in helping businesses manage these risks. “Companies come here not simply to open another office, but to turn the uncertainties of overseas expansion into costs they can calculate.”

Ip pointed to the city’s growing family office sector as a potential source of capital for technology companies. Hong Kong had more than 3,300 single-family offices at the end of 2025, up by 680 in two years, she said.

READ MORE: CVCF opens as HK seeks to connect global capital and entrepreneurs

“The money is not here for short-term speculation. It is looking for long-term assets,” Ip said, adding that hard technology can fill a gap in those investors’ portfolios.

Kevin Choi, permanent secretary for Hong Kong’s Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau, said he welcomes the university’s leading research teams and high-quality enterprises to make use of the city’s innovation ecosystem and the international platform offered under the “one country, two systems” principle.

Raymond Chan Wai-man, the newly elected chairman of the Zhejiang University (HK) Education Fund, said helping Hong Kong become the first stop for university-linked technology companies expanding overseas will be a priority for the new board. Chan is also a trustee of Zhejiang University and chair of The Shaw Foundation Hong Kong.

According to organizers, more than 46,000 companies have ties with Zhejiang University, and its alumni manage or control 335 listed companies, the highest figures among Chinese universities in both categories.

Contact the writer at irisli@chinadailyhk.com