Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou Cluster Ranks No. 1 in Global Innovation Index 2026
- The World Intellectual Property Organization evaluates international innovation clusters based on international patent filings, scientific publications, and venture capital deals.
- Local startup figures show substantial expansion across the special administrative region, rising from more than 1,500 in 2015 to over 5,200 in 2025.
- Private equity markets in the region maintain strong liquidity, with assets under management reaching nearly $1.96 trillion, or approximately $250 billion US dollars, ranking second in Asia after...
Global Innovation Rankings and Regional Performance
The World Intellectual Property Organization evaluates international innovation clusters based on international patent filings, scientific publications, and venture capital deals. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government stated that the ranking reaffirms the outstanding innovative capacity and the technology-supporting financing ecosystem of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Infrastructure Expansion and Start-Up Growth
Local startup figures show substantial expansion across the special administrative region, rising from more than 1,500 in 2015 to over 5,200 in 2025. Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport have collectively nurtured around 20 unicorns to date. Infrastructure supporting this growth has expanded with the December 2025 opening of the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone. The government reported that over 100 technology enterprises and institutions have signed leases and started moving into the site, which accommodates basic scientific research, technology commercialisation, pilot production, and cross-border innovation collaboration.
Venture Capital and Industrial Policy
Private equity markets in the region maintain strong liquidity, with assets under management reaching nearly $1.96 trillion, or approximately $250 billion US dollars, ranking second in Asia after Mainland China. To support this funding ecosystem, the government established a HK$10 billion I&T Industry-Oriented Fund alongside a HK$10 billion Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme and a Pilot I&T Acceleration Scheme. San Tin Technopole Company Limited was established in June 2026 to develop 210 hectares of innovation and technology land in the Northern Metropolis to form a connected node for upstream, midstream, and downstream industries.
