Guangdong-HongKong-Macao Greater Bay Area: a dream-seeking platform

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Plan was officially released one week ago. The plan proposes the establishment of Hong Kong and Macao employment and entrepreneurship pilot areas in Qianhai of Shenzhen, Nansha of Guangzhou and Hengqin of Zhuhai.

It supports the development of Hong Kong and Macao youth's small and medium-sized enterprises on the Chinese mainland. Qualified Hong Kong and Macao entrepreneurs will be brought within the scope of local entrepreneurship subsidies. The plan actively promotes the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base, the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth DreamWorks, and the International Youth Innovation workshop.

The Innovation Workshop is an international youth innovation and entrepreneurship platform initiated by the HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute in early 2015. It is a landmark project of the Hong Kong and Macao Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Base in the Nansha New District of the Guangzhou Free Trade Zone.

After graduating from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2007, Gao Min came to the HKUST Fok Ying Tung Research Institute, which had just settled in Nansha, and became one of the first technical talents to participate in its establishment.

"In the past, we used to take the boat and transfer to other vehicles. It took a few hours to go from Hong Kong to Nansha. Now we can take the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed train and it takes less than an hour," he said.

As one of the young experts in the innovation workshop, Lu Dong is full of confidence in the development of the Greater Bay Area. At present, his entrepreneurial team has already cooperated with Zhuhai Yunzhou Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. to provide products for unmanned ships and drones. The production of ultra-light and high-strength materials has an annual output value of three to four million yuan. ($44.89 million-$59.85million)

Lu Dong is also very concerned about the protection of intellectual property rights. “If the products are imitated in the short term and it is difficult to maintain their own intellectual property rights, this is a very frustrating thing for innovators," he said.

The plan proposes strengthening the protection and application of intellectual property rights. Based on the intellectual property cooperation mechanism between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, it will comprehensively strengthen cooperation in the fields of intellectual property protection and professional talent training.

With the deepening cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, young experts in the innovation workshop are full of expectations of further cooperation in technological innovation.