To thoroughly implement the national strategic deployment for the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and closely following the main theme of innovation-driven development, a high-end platform for regional scientific and technological collaboration, innovation, and talent exchange was established. On January 18, 2026, the Greater Bay Area Technology Exchange Conference, themed “Smart Innovation for the Bay Area, Industry-Research Integration,” was successfully held at Yuehai Land Tower, Luohu District, Shenzhen. The conference was hosted by the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, co-organized by the Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology’s Consortium for High-Quality Development of Certification and Testing, the Integration of Informatization and Industrialization Committee of the China Communications Industry Association, the Yangtze River Delta Artificial Intelligence Alliance, and Yuehai Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., with support from the Weiling Creative Industry Community, Dongxiao Street, Luohu District, Shenzhen. University scholars, key scientific research personnel, and business elites from the Greater Bay Area and across the country gathered together to explore the frontier trends of technological innovation, discuss pathways for deep industry-research integration, and pool collective wisdom to drive the high-quality development of the Greater Bay Area.
At 9:00 a.m., the conference officially commenced in a solemn and orderly atmosphere. Professor Andrea, Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, delivered the opening address. He noted that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as a core growth engine for national scientific and technological innovation, shoulders the important mission of leading regional high-quality development, bringing together abundant innovation resources and outstanding talent. This conference, centered on the core theme of “Smart Innovation for the Bay Area, Industry-Research Integration,” is both a concrete practice in response to the national innovation-driven development strategy and a key initiative to integrate the scientific and technological resources of the Greater Bay Area and promote deep collaboration across industry, academia, research, and application. It will undoubtedly inject strong momentum into enhancing the quality and efficiency of technological innovation and accelerating industrial transformation and upgrading in the Greater Bay Area.
Following the opening ceremony, the conference proceeded with a series of award presentations, plaque unveilings, research platform certifications, and institutional establishment ceremonies in accordance with the agenda. Each segment was conducted in a standardized, solemn, efficient, and orderly manner, fully demonstrating respect for scientific and technological talent and the importance attached to innovation and development. During the awards segment, Professor Andrea, Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, first presented academician certificates and First-Class Medals to experts who had made outstanding contributions in their respective fields. He then conferred certificates and Second-Class Medals upon “Taiping Scholars” in recognition of their remarkable achievements in scientific research breakthroughs and industry leadership. Professor Zhou Jiaxian, Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Technology and Director of the Centre for Quality Standards and Management at Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, presented certificates and Third-Class Medals to “Taiping Young Scholars,” encouraging young scientific and technological talents to bravely shoulder their missions, dare to be pioneers, and strive for excellence on the path of innovation. During the plaque unveiling and establishment ceremonies, Professor Andrea, First Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, issued letters of appointment for postdoctoral supervisors to relevant experts, strengthening the faculty foundation for postdoctoral talent cultivation in the Greater Bay Area. The conference also announced that seven institutions—including the Zhejiang Provincial Artificial Intelligence Society, Guangzhou Ximu Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd., Finomenon (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., Haian Disheng New Materials Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Tongbiao Testing Technology Service Co., Ltd., Nantong Shichuang Electronic Technology Co., Ltd., and Pengya Intelligent Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.—would establish postdoctoral research workstations, providing research talent with practical platforms for collaborative innovation across industry, academia, and research, and accelerating the transformation of scientific achievements into real productive forces. The Greater Bay Area Technical Talent Exchange and Certification Center, jointly established by the Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology’s Consortium for High-Quality Development of Certification and Testing and the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, was officially inaugurated, marking a new stage of standardized and systematic development for regional technical talent cultivation, exchange, and certification, and providing strong support for building a high-caliber scientific and technological workforce in the Greater Bay Area. After the ceremonies, all experts, Taiping Scholars, and attending guests posed for a group photo, capturing this significant moment of scientific exchange and talent convergence.
The keynote speech session focused on technological frontiers and regional development, offering content of both theoretical depth and practical value, presenting the audience with a high-quality academic feast. Moderated by Professor Li Hongjun, Director of the Department of Medicine and Life Engineering at the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, an expert receiving the State Council Special Allowance, a nationally recognized expert with outstanding contributions, Chief Imaging Expert at the National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, and Director of the Beijing Key Laboratory of Radiology for Major Infectious Diseases, Professor Li Yahong of the University of Hong Kong delivered a speech titled “Intellectual Property and Technological Innovation: The AI Copyright Project as a Case Study,” delving into the pain points and difficulties of copyright protection for AI-generated content and proposing solutions with both theoretical depth and practical guidance. Professor Li Hui, Director of the Future Network Laboratory, a National Major Scientific and Technological Infrastructure at Peking University, innovatively proposed the “Three Laws of Newton for Cyberspace to Ensure Permanent Rule of Law, Security, and Peace,” providing important theoretical support for building a cyberspace governed by law, security, and peace, and safeguarding the healthy development of the digital economy. Professor Zhou Jiaxian of Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, drawing on the characteristics of Hong Kong’s education system, systematically analyzed regional talent demand trends, offering important references for optimizing the talent cultivation system and enhancing the effectiveness of talent introduction in the Greater Bay Area.
Subsequently, under the moderation of Professor Shen Yushi, Vice President of the Hong Kong Institute of Technology, Director of the Tsinghua Straits Institute’s Intelligent Network Computing Laboratory, a nationally appointed distinguished expert, and a recipient of the State Council Special Allowance, Taiping Scholars and young scholar representatives delivered a series of insightful presentations. Professor Shen Yushi’s speech, titled “The Measure of Wisdom: A Human Proposition in the Age of AI,” deeply explored the profound impact of artificial intelligence development on human society and the responsibilities of our era, sparking deep reflection among the audience. Li Huachao, Director of the Advisory Technology Department at the Hong Kong Institute of Technology and Executive Director of the Macao Association of Engineers, elaborated on “Macao’s Four Major Engineering Projects: Driving Opening-Up to the World, Building Higher-Level Cooperation, and Serving the Nation’s Overall Development,” articulating their important role in promoting opening-up, deepening regional cooperation, and serving the nation’s development strategy, highlighting the broad prospects for coordinated development in the Greater Bay Area. Dr. Deng Jie of the Hong Kong Institute of Technology focused on “Key Technologies and Industrialization of Wheeled Humanoid Robots,” sharing breakthroughs and industrial application practices in this field, providing valuable insights for the innovative development of advanced manufacturing in the Greater Bay Area. The speeches delivered by the experts and scholars were insightful and rich in content, resonating widely with the audience.
The successful convening of this Greater Bay Area Technology Exchange Conference not only built a high-level bridge for scientific exchange and industry-research collaboration but also consolidated regional innovation consensus and strengthened the bonds of talent exchange, laying a solid foundation for the integration of scientific and technological resources and the deep fusion of industry, academia, research, and application in the Greater Bay Area. Going forward, the host and co-organizing institutions will take this conference as an opportunity to continue deepening scientific and technological collaboration across the Greater Bay Area, accelerate the transformation and application of innovation achievements, help the Greater Bay Area expedite the construction of an international science and technology innovation center, and make greater contributions to Guangdong’s efforts to lead in the advancement of Chinese-style modernization and to the nation’s overall high-quality development.
