Press Release cum Press Invitation 12 March 2002
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON COMMERCIALIZATION OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Technology and business leaders from 10 major economies will share their experiences in promoting technology-driven growth at an international symposium to be held in Hong Kong next week.
The symposium, entitled “Economic Development through Commercialization of Science and Technology”, is jointly organized by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. The 4-day event will begin on 19 March 2002 (Tuesday).
The symposium will hear models and experiences from Silicon Valley, India’s hitech region of Bangalore, the UK’s Cambridge Science Park, as well as those of the Chinese Mainland, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Sweden, Israel, and Canada. Presentations will also be made on Hong Kong’s own technology initiatives, including the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks, and the Nansha IT Park in Guangdong, of which HKUST is a development partner.
This will be the largest such event in the region to bring together science and technology policy decision makers from nations, corporations, and universities to share their experiences. One major theme of the symposium is to explore whether success in one place can be duplicated or emulated elsewhere, a concept of particular importance to Hong Kong in its drive to develop the high technology sector.
“The symposium’s topics are related to nations or regions which developed their technologies and industries under unusual circumstances. For example, the Silicon Valley in the US has no silicone—neither is it a valley. Germany took on a tremendous burden after reunification; Singapore is a city state half the size of Hong Kong, and South Korea was harder hit than Hong Kong in the 1998 financial crisis,” said Prof Otto Lin, Vice-President for Research and Development at HKUST. “The question is how these nations responded to the technology challenge, and how Hong Kong may learn from their experience.”
The symposium fields a list of distinguished speakers from these countries as well as other regions, including:
Prof Henry S Rowen, Director Emeritus, Asia/Pacific Research Center, Stanford University; former Assistant Secretary of Defense, USA
Prof Hans-Jürgen Warnecke, President, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Germany Prof Guanhua Xu, Minister of Science and Technology, China
Prof Kwan Rim, Chairman, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, South Korea Prof Poh-Kam Wong, Director, Center for Management of Innovation and Technopreneurship, National University of Singapore
Mr Azi Hemar, Deputy Chief Scientist, Office of The Chief Scientist, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Israel
Dr Fang-Churng Tseng, President and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd., Taiwan
Mr Francis Ho, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, HKSAR
The symposium will also look at three important hi-tech sectors, namely microelectronics, information technology and biotechnology, as well as the prospects of further technology cooperation between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta.
Prof Lin said: “One factor crucial to Hong Kong’s continued success is developing strategic hi-tech industries, and leveraging its already strong relationship with the Pearl River Delta in the process. The symposium will address these salient issues.”
In keeping with HKUST’s mission to assist in the economic and social development of Hong Kong, this symposium is yet another effort of the University—in partnership with government, business, and industry— to propel the territory into a knowledge-based society.
Members of the media are welcome to attend the symposium. Details are as follows:
“Economic Development through Commercialization of Science and Technology”
Date: 19-22 March 2002
Time: Please refer to the attached program or the following website http://rdportal.ust.hk/symposium/index.html
Venue: 19-20 March – Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre 21-22 March – Nansha Convention and Exhibition Centre
For media enquiries:
Adrian Cheung Tel: 2358-6305 email: acheung@ust.hk
