InnoEX 2024 Launches Smart Hong Kong Pavilion Showcasing Innovative Technology Solutions for Citizens and Businesses

DPO's Smart Hong Kong Pavilion showcases over 100 achievements in Hong Kong's innovation and technology

The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB) and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) co-organised the third edition of the InnoEX at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) for four consecutive days starting today (April 13). The Digital Policy Office (DPO) set up a large-scale Smart Hong Kong Pavilion to showcase over 100 technology solutions, including those developed by different government departments in relation to citizens' daily lives. Through interactive experiences and on-site demonstrations, the Pavilion demonstrates the solid achievements in advancing the development of innovation and technology (I&T) and smart city in Hong Kong brought about by the concerted efforts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and various sectors.

On the opening day of the Pavilion, a number of officials, including the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, and the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, visited the Pavilion. They were briefed by the Commissioner for Digital Policy, Mr Tony Wong,on how the DPO leads various government departments in leveraging I&T to enhance city management and operational efficiency, delivering enhanced public services to citizens. The DPO has all along worked in close collaboration with the local I&T industry to develop a variety of innovative solutions, with a view to continuously enhancing public services for the benefit of the public and businesses, jointly strengthening Hong Kong's leading position as an international I&T hub.

This year's Smart Hong Kong Pavilion focuses on AI and data-driven applications, and showcases I&T solutions contributed by 20 government departments and the winning entries of international and domestic I&T competitions, including the Hong Kong ICT Awards, Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance Awards, Maker in China SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Contest - Hong Kong Chapter and Open Data Hackathon, from local innovators and students. Through the exhibition, the DPO hopes to recognise outstanding local innovations, encourage and inspire industry players to develop more innovative solutions as well as promote Hong Kong's I&T development to local industries, exhibitors and experts from home and abroad.

Following are highlights of the six areas of the Smart Hong Kong Pavilion:

Smart Living: "iAM Smart", the one-stop personalised digital services platform that provides citizens with access to over 1100 government, public and private online services and government e-Forms; the Hong Kong Observatory's AI-powered weather prediction models that provide reference in preparing weather forecasts and tropical cyclone forecast tracks; and the industry's award-winning solution, a smart packaging system from the Hong Kong Productivity Council that significantly increases packaging output of Chinese medicine and reduces manpower requirements.

Smart Mobility: Award of the Year in the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024, a solution from the MTR Corporation Limited and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology that adopts a digital twin calibrated with big data for railway planning and simulating service disruptions and congestion, thereby assisting the MTR to plan corresponding arrangements early to meet the travel needs of citizens.

Smart Environment: The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department's Shark Species Rapid DNA Identification technology that uses AI to rapidly identify the species of shark fins and more efficiently determine whether the imported shark fins are regulated; and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department's AI-powered Aqua-bot that is used in early detection and rapid response to invasive alien species to protect ecosystems in wetlands.

Smart People: The Architectural Services Department's Wall-Climbing Robot that can move flexibly on building facades and conduct building facade assessments efficiently and accurately; the Drainage Services Department's Tumbler Inspection Ball Robot with Embodied Intelligence, honoured with a Gold Medal in the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2024, that can monitor condition of pipelines through clear 360-degree panoramic videos and AI technology; as well as the Highways Department's adoption of geospatial and AI technologies to automatically detect various road objects and create survey maps, enhancing efficiency of road construction projects.

Smart Government: The Hong Kong Fire Services Department's Virtual Fire Scene Incident Command Training System that allows firefighters to practice command and decision-making skills in an immersive experience; the Hong Kong Police Force's The New Generation Scenario-based Interactive Multiplayer Simulation System that adopts multimedia broadcasting and simulated communication systems to train officers to respond to various simulated incidents; and the Hong Kong Immigration Department's Mutual Use of QR Code between HKSAR and Macao SAR Clearance Service that fosters ease in cross-boundary mobility.

Smart Economy: The Lands Department's leverage of spatial data and Geographic Information System to enhance the safety, efficiency and planning of drone operations, supporting low-altitude economy development; and the award-winning solution, Hong Kong Housing Authority Project Information Management and Analytics Platform, that implements digital project management from planning to handover stages, thereby expediting decision-making process.

The annual I&T mega event of Hong Kong, InnoEX, brings together I&T elites, enterprises and buyers from the Mainland and overseas to jointly promote I&T advancements and applications and explore global collaboration opportunities. Themed "Innovation • Automate • Elevate", this year's InnoEX will showcase cutting-edge technology solutions across five key areas: low-altitude economy, AI, robotics, cybersecurity and smart mobility. Interested parties from the trade can register free of charge at the HKTDC's website (www.hktdc.com/event/innoex/en).

Meanwhile, another major I&T highlight this April - the World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit - a high-level conference in the global Internet field, will take place on April 14 and 15 at the HKCEC concurrently. Under the theme "Integration of AI and Digital Technologies Shaping the Future - Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace", the Summit will focus on forward-looking discussions in large AI models, digital finance, and digital government and smart life, attracting around 1 000 participants from the Mainland and overseas, including representatives from governments and enterprises, international organisations, internet giants, experts and scholars to attend.

DPO's Smart Hong Kong Pavilion showcases over 100 achievements in Hong Kong's innovation and technology Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

DPO's Smart Hong Kong Pavilion showcases over 100 achievements in Hong Kong's innovation and technology Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

DPO's Smart Hong Kong Pavilion showcases over 100 achievements in Hong Kong's innovation and technology Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

DPO's Smart Hong Kong Pavilion showcases over 100 achievements in Hong Kong's innovation and technology Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

DPO's Smart Hong Kong Pavilion showcases over 100 achievements in Hong Kong's innovation and technology Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation

Key event of the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025, Ministerial Panel, has been held this afternoon (April 22). Participating cultural ministers and senior officials from 17 countries joined the Panel. They exchanged views and shared experience on policies and measures to promote arts and cultural development. Organised in Hong Kong, the Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 further strengthens Hong Kong's position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.

The theme of the Forum is "Connect, Create, Engage: Bridging Cultures for All". Officiating at the Panel opening today, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, highlighted that the world has undergone rapid and vigourous changes and technological advancement is something inevitable. A people-oriented approachshould be adoptedto promote the arts and cultural development, i.e. to connect more with people, to create more for people and to engage more people. Making good use of Hong Kong as an East meets-West centre for international cultural exchange and the largest art trading centre in Asia, Hong Kong will surely continue to work hard to make our name card more shiny and tell good stories of Hong Kong.

In addition to the speeches given by Miss Law and Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr Gao Zheng in the Panel, participating cultural ministers and senior officials from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Nepal, Pakistan, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam also took turns to speak.

The Acting Chief Executive, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, hosted the gala dinner for the delegations as well as local cultural leaders. Local musicians, all-inclusive orchestra and a cappella choir were invited by the forum to perform in the dinner, showcasing a blend of Chinese and Western traditional and contemporary music, demonstrating to the guests the diversified and vibrant of art and culture scene in Hong Kong.

In his speech at the dinner, Mr Chan pointed out that the Government has been actively fostering the city's development into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange with the clear national support in the National 14th Five-Year Plan. With its unique advantage of blending Chinese and Western cultures and its extensive international connections, Hong Kong will become a "super connector" and "super value-adder" between the Mainland and the rest of the world.

The delegations attending the forum visited the Hong Kong Museum of Art and Oil Street Art Space (Oi!) yesterday (April 21). They will attend the plenary session and visit the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District tomorrow (April 23).

The Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum has been held since 2003 with the aim of promoting cultural co-operation and exchanges among regions. Drawing on the success of past forums, this year's forum is themed "Connect, Create, Engage: Bridging Cultures for All" and has expanded its scale. In addition to inviting more Asian countries to participate, Belt and Road countries outside of Asia are invited to participate for the first time to further promote cultural exchanges with countries in the region.

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Asia Cultural Co-operation Forum+ 2025 promotes cultural co-operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases