Professor Sun’s Visit to Sweden Enhances Hong Kong-Sweden Innovation and Technology Collaboration

SITI commences visit to Sweden

The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, began his visit to Stockholm, Sweden on May 11 (Stockholm time). The visit aims to further deepen exchange and collaboration between Hong Kong and Sweden in innovation and technology (I&T), and to gain a deeper understanding of Sweden’s experience and achievements in a high degree of integration of education, technology and industry.

In the morning, Professor Sun visited KTH Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and met with the Vice President of Global Relations, Professor Stefan Östlund, to exchange views on deepening international collaboration. KTH is the largest technical education and research university there. Professor Sun received a briefing on the Institute’s latest developments in innovation ecosystem and biotechnology research and development. Both sides also explored new collaboration opportunities in frontier fields such as life sciences.

Professor Sun pointed out that the National 15th Five-Year Plan indicates clear support for Hong Kong developing into an international I&T centre, accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis, and supporting Hong Kong to build an international hub for high-calibre talent. Sweden possesses world-class research capabilities and an innovation ecosystem that emphasises on both scientific research and industry application. He said he hoped to learn from Sweden’s successful experience in the development of industry-academia-research integration, so as to transform the Northern Metropolis into an international hub of I&T and education, and promote the co-ordinated development of education and technology in the Northern Metropolis University Town.

Professor Sun then attended a roundtable luncheon hosted by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. The Academy is the world’s oldest engineering sciences academy, dedicated to promoting engineering sciences and the advancement of industry for the benefit of society. At the luncheon, Professor Sun shared that Hong Kong is making every effort to develop into an international I&T centre by continuously improving its I&T ecosystem, converging global research talent, capital and technology, and promoting the deep integration of industry, academic and research sectors. He emphasised that with the unique advantage of enjoying strong support from the Motherland and close connection to the world, Hong Kong could act as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” in facilitating I&T co-operation between the Chinese Mainland, Sweden and other European countries, as well as serve as a gateway for overseas enterprises to develop their businesses in the Mainland.

In the afternoon, Professor Sun visited the Karolinska Institutet and met with the Vice President, Professor Martin Bergö. They had an in-depth exchange on topics including the syngergistic innovation of industry-academia-research and attracting talent, and explored opportunities to further enhance collaboration between research institutes and higher education institutions in both places. The Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical schools, renowned for its life science research. Professor Sun was also briefed about the Institutet’s innovation and research outcomes transformation ecosystem, and he also learned about the Flemingsberg Science Foundation’s work in building a local life science cluster, as well as showcases of advanced therapies by local enterprises.

Professor Sun also visited the renowned SciLifeLab, a national life science laboratory to advance molecular biosciences. Jointly established by four universities including the Karolinska Institutet, KTH, the Stockholm University and the Uppsala University, the laboratory has fostered numerous Nobel Prize-winning R&D(research and development) achievements.

In the evening, Professor Sun attended a dinner reception co-hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. He stated in a keynote speech that Hong Kong is committed to promoting innovation and facilitating global collaboration, pointing out that Hong Kong and Sweden are both open and innovation-driven economies with highly compatible development directions. With I&T as the core of its economic strategy, Hong Kong is actively advancing key industries such as life and health technologies, AI and robotics, as well as advanced manufacturing and new energy, and establishing partnerships with leading global research institutions through platforms like InnoHK.

Professor Sun pointed out that Hong Kong is advancing a number of crucial I&T development projects, including the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone, new initiatives in AI and life and health technology, continuously expanding digital infrastructures, and the forthcoming HK$10 billion Innovation and Technology Industry-Oriented Fund. These initiatives will further strengthen Hong Kong’s position as an international I&T centre. He sincerely invited Swedish enterprises, research talent and investors to deepen co-operation with Hong Kong.

Professor Sun also called on the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Sweden, Mr Zhou Limin, to introduce Hong Kong’s strategic positioning as an international I&T centre, and point out that under the National 15th Five-Year Plan, Hong Kong will actively expand co-operation with international I&T partners, including Sweden, to continuously enhance its innovation capabilities and international competitiveness.

Upon his arrival in Stockholm, Sweden on May 10, Professor Sun immediately visited Tekniska Museet, which is the city’s largest museum of science and technology. The museum is dedicated to preserving cultural heritage related to science and industrial history and showcasing to the public how technology drives social, cultural and economic development. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will make good use of the two science-related museums in Hong Kong and relevant educational facilities to organise more diverse science popularisation activities to further enhance the public’s technology literacy.

Professor Sun will continue his visit to Sweden on May 12 (Stockholm time), and proceed to visit Helsinki, Finland later on the same day.

Speech by SITI at dinner reception co-hosted by London ETO and Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden in Stockholm, Sweden

Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at a dinner reception co-hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London and the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden in Stockholm, Sweden today (May 11, Stockholm time):

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good evening. It is a pleasure to join you here in Stockholm. Home to more than 40 unicorns, from global music icons like Spotify, to the creators of mobile games like Candy Crush Saga, Sweden has shown to the world how innovation has been a story of connection. Hong Kong believes in the same.

Hong Kong and Sweden are both open economies with a global outlook. We invest in people, education and scientific excellence. In today’s world, we are witnessing the convergence of major trends such as the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) and digitalisation, and the reshaping of global supply chain. Hong Kong is determined to seize the opportunities these trends bring.

I&T (innovation and technology) are at the heart of Hong Kong’s economic future. Our I&T Blueprint, promulgated in 2022, sets out a coherent and forward-looking strategy to develop Hong Kong into an international I&T centre, with a focus on life and health technologies, AI and robotics, as well as advanced manufacturing and new energy.

In recent years, Hong Kong has established an I&T ecosystem anchored by three major I&T Parks and five key research and development (R&D) institutions. Through this framework, we hope to promote the positive interaction of research and development in the upstream, technology transfer in the midstream, as well as application and development of industries in the downstream.

Hong Kong is home to five of the world’s top 100 universities. Our academic excellence and research capability are among our greatest assets. To leverage our strengths and foster global I&T collaboration, our flagship R&D initiative, InnoHK, has built collaboration with more than 30 world-renowned universities and research institutes from 12 economies, including Sweden. Together, we have set up a total of 38 research centres under three clusters focusing on the research on health technologies, AI and robotics, and sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials, pooling together more than 3 000 international research talents. We are proud to have Karolinska Institutet as a key collaborating partner in two of these centres, demonstrating the synergy between Swedish scientific excellence and Hong Kong’s research strengths.

We are also making bold and strategic investment in I&T infrastructure. The most exciting development is the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (the Hong Kong Park).

Opened last December, the Hong Kong Park will become a worldclass hub for frontier research, technology translation, and pilot production. What makes it unique is its cross-boundary model combining Hong Kong’s robust R&D capabilities and international openness with Shenzhen’s industrial depth and manufacturing power. This is a perfect destination for Swedish companies that hope to tab into the vast Mainland market while at the same time enjoying the various convenience of doing business in Hong Kong – our low and simply tax system, free flow of capital, our common law system – to name but a few.

Here in Sweden which is a global leader in life sciences and health technology, let me share with you all that Hong Kong is establishing the Life and Health Research Institute with a focus on “AI and Life Sciences” in the Hong Kong Park. This Institute will leverage Hong Kong’s R&D strengths in life and health technology supplemented by artificial intelligence, attract leading global innovation and technology talents and research teams to Hong Kong. We hope to achieve more original results and pioneering breakthroughs, and accelerate the transformation of research outcomes, so as to allow Hong Kong to contribute to the health and well-being of humanity worldwide. On this, we very much welcome Swedish researchers, start-ups and enterprises to join this new Institute for more regional and global I&T collaboration.

AI is reshaping industries worldwide. Sweden has developed its national AI Strategy, and so has Hong Kong. Putting forward our national AI+ initiative, Hong Kong is focusing on “strengthening infrastructure and promoting the application-oriented approach” to drive AI across multiple dimensions. The Hong Kong AI Research and Development Institute will commence operation later this year. The Institute welcomes international collaboration including joint labs, researcher exchanges, and codevelopment of AI governance frameworks, an area where Nordic countries are global leaders.

Our digital infrastructure is also expanding rapidly. The Sandy Ridge Data Facility Cluster, now under construction, will provide 180 000 PFLOPS (peta-floating point operations per second) of computing power by 2032. It will serve as a secure, efficient international data hub that supports digital innovation and AI-related industries.

Hong Kong is also making use of market forces to develop our strategic technology industries. For example, we will soon launch a HK$10 billion funds-of-funds called the I&T Industry-Oriented Fund, approximately 11.9 billion Swedish kronor, to encourage market capital to invest in strategic industries. By selecting eligible professional fund managers to set up sub-funds, we hope to channel more market capital to invest in I&T industries and support the development of emerging and future industries of strategic importance to Hong Kong. We very much welcome capital from Sweden to join us on this exciting venture.

We are happy to see that our dedication to I&T has come to fruition. In the Global Innovation Index 2025 Ranking of World’s Top 100 Innovation Clusters by World Intellectual Property Organisation, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou innovation cluster ranked first globally for the first time. In the 2025 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking published by the International Institute for Management Development, Hong Kong ranked fourth globally. We also witnessed a record high of 5 200 start-ups in Hong Kong—an increase of around 40 per cent compared with five years ago. Over the past few years, we have also facilitated more than 600 leading I&T or high potential enterprises to set up or expand their businesses in Hong Kong, including international names like AstraZeneca and Pfizer.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Hong Kong is always open to global talent and ideas and will continue to play our role as a “super connector” and “super valueadder” at an international level. As we look ahead, I am confident that the ties between Hong Kong and Sweden will continue to deepen and I look forward to the many possibilities we will create together.

May I thank the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce in Sweden and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London for organising this reception. I wish everyone an enjoyable evening. Thank you.