Unique research collaboration opportunity with Hong Kong

A leading Chinese official has highlighted Australia's opportunity to undertake new R&D collaborations with Hong Kong, in the lead-up to the 2007 Cooperative Research Centres Association Conference.

Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) government, Anthony Wong, said Australia has strong technological capability and a long-term strategy for science and technology, making it an attractive technology transfer partner for Hong Kong.

"The Cooperative Research Centres Programme has developed a culture that brings together researchers and research users through technology transfer and commercialisation while increasing the benefits of research outcomes for Australia," Wong said.

"Australia and Hong Kong share the same concerns about their economy's low levels of business investment in innovation and inadequate activities in moving research outcomes downstream to industry users.

"The challenges for Hong Kong and Australia are to foster stronger linkages between universities and industry, encourage more private sector investment in R&D, and facilitate transfer and commercialisation of technology and research outputs."

The Hong Kong SAR government recently launched five centres to support R&D and promote technology transfer to industry. The centres serve manufacturing in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, which produces one-third of China's total exports.