One Zone, Two Parks: The future is here
Published Jul 29, 2026 02:02 pm
HKSTP – Where ideas incubate and accelerate
If you want to know what the future holds, or at least, have a glimpse of what it looks like, go to the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP) and the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP).
Both are located in Hong Kong’s New Territories, one on the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, right along the Sham Chun (Shenzhen) River, while the other is located along the waterfront facing Tolo Harbour and Tide Cove.
Both locations will bring you to the future.
Part of the recent Greater Bay Area-ASEAN Summit 2026 organized by the South China Morning Post was a trip to the future through these two parks. The HKSTP serves as a nursery where ideas are germinated and incubated (and where some of the millionaires and billionaires were reportedly produced). The HSITP is the highly-anticipated international Innovation and Technology bridgehead and is expected to grow exponentially and phenomenally in the coming years.
Construction is in full swing at the Hong Kong side of the HSTIP
Our first stop was the HKSTP. Eric Or, Chief Ecosystem Development officer, said there are 24 buildings inside the HKSTP that work closely with all universities in Hong Kong. There are also over 26,000 people working in the campus, 17,000 of whom are research and development professionals. There are 13 unicorns (startup companies) and around 47 restaurants inside the park.
The numbers are impressive: more than 1,400 startups, around 400,000 sq. m. of R&D offices and lab spaces sitting on 220 hectares of land. It boasts of over 500 engaged corporate partners and over 210 engaged investors.
More than HK$170 billion in investments had been raised by the park’s companies since 2018 with over 490 deals clinched, and growing.
“What we want to see are successful companies. Their success is our success,” Or said, adding that “people from all over the world are encouraged to come here.”
“Hong Kong is not short in talent. University students are our pipelines for innovation,” he added.
‘Our trees are under attack’
LeafIoT (LeafIoT Technology Limited), an urban tree-monitoring startup, issued this warning, and said 1,500 trees per minute are under attack all over the world and there aren’t enough arborists to protect them. The startup firm provides smart hardware and cloud software to track tree stability and health. Another startup, Ksher (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd., is a digital cross-border payment gateway and financial technology company that enables merchants to accept multi-channel electronic payments. Simon Poon, head of data technology and analytics, spoke about a Southeast Asia-rooted payment platform with localized operations and global exposure. He said Ksher helps Small and Medium Enterprisers move faster and expand with confidence.
Eric Or (2nd from left), chief ecosystem development officer of HKSTP, with members of the ASEAN media
Green mobility
One Energy Group CEO Kevin To stated that with the accelerated global energy structure transformation, green travel has become an irreversible trend. One Energy has extensive experience in battery swapping systems, LEV (light electric vehicle) power train system, and LEVs. Its core product is the intelligent battery-swapping cabinet equipped with a water-cooled fast charging system. Kevin vowed to work together with ecosystem partners to help position Hong Kong as a world-leading pilot city for green mobility.
Free flow of people, data, capital
It almost seemed Utopian, but the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP) does exist and is expanding to become an international I & T Center in the greater Bay Area (GBA).
HSITP executives and staff led by CEO Vincent Ma (front, center)
Vincent Ma, Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited, is driving the development of the loop between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, leveraging the unique advantages of “One River, Two Banks” and “One Zone, Two Parks”, and positioning the Hong Kong Park as an R&D transformation and pilot production base for industries and a testing ground for institutional and policy innovation, reinforcing Hong Kong's role as a “Super Connector” and “Super Value-adder.”
The Park’s six pillar industries include Life and Health Technology, AI and Data Science, New Energy, New Materials, Microelectronics, and Robotics.
The HSITP sits on a total land area of 87.7 hectares. By next year, there should be around 70 buildings built around the park with famous dining brands and basic amenities facilities splattered all over.
It is envisioned to be a future-ready and inspirational environment where ideas can be sparked and realized among innovators, researchers, and business leaders.
Arnold Lau, Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion, Invest Hong Kong, said Hong Kong has become China’s largest destination for two-way investment. Lau leads InvestHK’s investment promotion efforts for the Northern Metropolis, with a particular focus on innovation- and technology-intensive industries, including life and health sciences and advanced logistics, and on building an integrated ecosystem of complementary sectors that underpins the district’s development.
Kim Wai Ng, Head of the Planning and Development Team, of the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government, said the Northern Metropolis integrates quality living, industries, and culture and leisure, serves as a new engine for Hong Kong to scale new heights, and an important platform to promote high-quality economic cooperation between Hong Kong and the GBA.