Hong Kong innovation minister: Swedish universities eager for deep biotech collaboration

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Sun Dong, revealed during a visit to Sweden that top Swedish universities are eager to strengthen ties with the city. In an interview with the South China Morning Post on Tuesday, Sun said the enthusiasm of Swedish organizations for cooperating with Hong Kong “exceeded my expectations.” During the trip—his first official visit to Northern Europe—Sun toured three prestigious institutions: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, the Karolinska Institutet, and Uppsala University. He extended invitations for them to leverage Hong Kong’s InnoHK research clusters and the forthcoming Life and Health Technology Research Institute.

Discussions centered on life sciences and biotechnology, areas where both Sweden and Hong Kong have strong expertise, as well as digitalization and energy. Sun noted that many start-ups are eager to expand into the Chinese market while using Hong Kong as a fundraising hub for global growth. After Sweden, Sun is scheduled to visit Helsinki, Finland, to continue fostering innovation and technology collaboration. The trip aims to integrate education, technology, and industry by learning from Sweden’s successful model.