Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP) Corporation has announced a strategic collaboration with Roche, one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, with the aim of leading HK and the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in becoming a pioneer in life science innovation and to be an example for the region. This collaboration is the first agreement between HKSTP and a life science corporation for multidimensional collaboration (including technology and data sharing).

HKSTP and Roche are dedicated in their support for advancing life science innovation and healthcare policy. Both parties are hoping to provide a greater platform and support to startups based in HK and mainland China, and creating an ecosystem for healthcare startups.

The long-term goal is to turn the GBA into a national leader in life science and healthcare innovation, and setting an example the rest of the country might follow in technology application and registration. It is also hoped the GBA will be a hub for talent and for corporates in the Asia Pacific region.

The principle areas of collaboration are:

• Shaping Policy – A white paper to articulate policy recommendations, organising a public forum and a round-table for in-depth discussion with government officials
• Co-incubation programme – providing the startups with supports and guidance on science, strategy and marketing, and creating a platform for the startups and potential partners to network and exchange
• Data collaboration – Fostering a conducive data-sharing environment in the STP Platform and among stakeholders; exploring synthetic data generation tools; promoting the “data collaboration” concept to the community