HKUST Business School Magazine

Biz@HKUST Biz@HKUST 6 7 // Cover // Thought Leader Government ensures that multiple safeguards are in place to protect personal data, and privacy impact assessments are carried out before new projects are started, he says. To carry out its digital plan effectively, the Government needs to have the right talent in place. Developing a pipeline of graduates with the right interdisciplinary skills is top of the agenda when it comes to making Hong Kong a premier information and technology hub. The Government has been actively investing into IT programs at the primary and secondary levels, emphasizing IT education as a core part of today’s curriculum and promoting extra-curricular IT activities in schools. Furthermore, it has rolled out many exciting programs and award recognition to encourage students to consider future jobs in innovation and technology. Lam points out that the HKSAR Government also recognizes the important role that universities play in nurturing talent, and has consequently been injecting more resources into research and interdisciplinary research to identify new areas of innovations and programs. To develop Hong Kong into a world- class I&T hub, collaborative efforts need to take place between the Government, academia, and the private sector, as well as leverage on the opportunities that have been brought about by the Greater Bay Area Region SMART Mobility SMART CITY Blueprint 2.0 Over 95% of Hong Kong citizens use the Octopus card for travel and spending Smart check-in kiosks, indoor wayfinding, and self-bag drop offs at the airport Over 41,800 free Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong Mobile subscriber penetration rate is 283% A reduction of carbon intensity by 35% in 2019 compared to 2005 Government buildings reduced electricity consumption by 5% 60% of senior secondary students studied one or more STEM-related elective subjects in 2019/2020 R&D funding in 2019 reached HK$26,333m, an increase of 8% compared with 2018 Public sector information portal has over 4,690 unique datasets and 1,800 application programming interfaces GovHK makes information and services easier for the public and now includes around 850 e-services Internet Banking saw 15.8 million accounts with over HK$11.9 trillion monthly transactions in 2019 SMART Living SMART Environment SMART People SMART Government SMART Economy Victor Lam Government Chief Information Officer HKSAR Government M O R E But at the end of the day, Lam says, in order to develop Hong Kong into a world-class I&T hub, collaborative efforts need to take place between the Government, academia, and the private sector, as well as leverage on the opportunities that have been brought about by the Greater Bay Area Region. “The National 14th Five-Year Plan explicitly mentions the objective to develop Hong Kong into an international technology hub, so I’m confident that innovation and technology will prosper in the years to come,” Lam says. “Universities will have a strong role to play. They will help not only the development of Hong Kong, but also turn Greater Bay Area into a global I&T hub.”