The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB) will organise the Business of Innovation and Technology Week (BIT Week) in April, which includes the government-funded innovation and technology (I&T) signature events, the Digital Economy Summit and the InnoEX, as well as the much celebrated inaugural Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference.

The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, said, "We look forward to an array of I&T mega events in April in Hong Kong. The BIT Week brings together local talent and those outside Hong Kong covering some 20 regions and over 3 000 exhibitors to showcase to the world Hong Kong's unique edge and strong I&T capabilities through a series of seminars, exhibitions, business networking, talent matching and industry events. It is a key policy of the country to develop 'new quality productive forces' driven by technological innovation. The series of events under the BIT Week aims to promote the upstream, midstream and downstream development of the local I&T ecosystem chain, accelerating the formation of 'new quality productive forces' and scaling new heights for our I&T sector, thereby propelling Hong Kong's advancement into an international I&T centre."

Organised by the ITIB and Cyberport, the Digital Economy Summit (DES) will be held on April 12 and 13 with the theme "Smarter Technovation for All: Forging a Sustainable Future". The two-day Summit will feature over 100 renowned speakers from Hong Kong, the Mainland and a number of overseas countries including the United States and Germany, as well as those from the Middle East and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Summit will cover eight thematic forums on topics such as artificial intelligence (AI), business innovation, smart industrialisation and supply chain, smart mobility, new energy, smart finance, Web3.0, smart living and inclusion.

The second InnoEX co-organised by the ITIB and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) that immediately follows the DES will be held from April 13 to 16. Themed "Innovations for A Smarter World", the exhibition will bring together exhibitors from more than 10 regions and different technology sectors, including organisations from Hong Kong, 16 Mainland provinces and cities, and countries such as France, Canada, India, Singapore and the United Kingdom. By showcasing cutting-edge technology solutions and promoting dialogue at various seminars and exchanges, the exhibition seeks to promote cross-sectoral and cross-territory I&T development and collaboration. The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer will also set up the "Smart Hong Kong Pavilion" to showcase over 100 I&T solutions closely related to people's day-to-day life, and winning entries from local innovators and students, to demonstrate the latest progress in promoting I&T and smart city development by the Government and various sectors in Hong Kong. An ASEAN Roundtable will also be organised during the exhibition whereby government representatives from ASEAN countries will share experiences related to smart city development and ways to achieve sustainable development through multi-sectoral collaboration.

In addition, the Hong Kong Alumni Association of Beijing Universities will organise the inaugural Hong Kong World Youth Science Conference and the Xiangjiang Nobel Forum 2024 on April 13 and 14 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the full support of the ITIB. The event will gather top-notch I&T talent and renowned scientists including laureates of the Nobel Prize and Turing Award to tap into global wisdom on critical issues in the areas of Big Data, AI, quantum computing, biology and new materials, thereby enhancing Hong Kong's status in the international scientific arena. The organiser will also arrange a memoranda of understanding signing ceremony at the event signifying the intention of I&T enterprises from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Xiongan area to land in Hong Kong, as well as the launching ceremony of the Hong Kong Joint Development Fund for Innovation and Technology to promote quality development of Hong Kong via investment in I&T enterprises.

Other major industry events during the BIT Week include HKTDC's Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and Smart Lighting Expo, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation’s Elevator Pitching Competition, and the Hong Kong Web3 Festival co-hosted by Wanxiang Blockchain Labs and HashKey Group and organised by W3ME, all contributing to the prosperous development of Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem and greater synergies.

     Details of the BIT Week events can be found at bitweek.hktdc.com/en.