Hong Kong Industrialist Aug Oct 2021

The chemical and biotechnology sectors are closely-tied to our daily lives, with a wide spectrum of applications across consumer products, medical supplies and even industrial processes. As the impact of industries on environmental sustainability is gaining public attention nowadays, the chemical industry works closely with research institutes to develop more sustainable materials and processes with less carbon footprint, to be applied on various industrial sectors like electronics, semiconductors, energy storage and environmental-friendly plastics etc. This will induce far-reaching impact on industrial activities and consumption markets with enormous development opportunities. On the other hand, Hong Kong has a strong foundation in biotechnology research. Coupling the Government’s commitment to fostering I&T in this area and Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation’s dedicated support in commercialising biomedical research, the local industrial ecosystem is gradually taking shape. There are approximately 300 companies in biotechnology field in Hong Kong, most of them being healthcare companies specialising in pharmaceuticals, traditional Chinese medicine, medical devices and diagnostics, as well as bio-testing technologies etc. Besides, Hong Kong is a popular IPO destination for biotech companies, being Asia Pacific’s largest IPO centre on this front. The advancement of chemical and biotechnology industries does not only create high value- added manufacturing activities like pharmaceutics and medical devices, but also inject impetus for the transformation of other manufacturing sectors by introducing new materials, manufacturing technology and applications based on biological and chemical sciences. Owing to the mainland China’s strategy to strengthen internal circulation, the chemical and biotechnology sectors are expected to benefit from the strong domestic demand driven by the population base and the consumers’ pursuit of higher-end and more sustainable products. The future of these sectors is promising. 化工及生物科技業與市民日常生活息息相 關，廣泛應用在消費品、醫藥用品以至工業 過程中。現今不論各行各業，環境可持續性 均受到關注。化工業界及科研機構均積極投 入和合作，研發更少碳足跡、具可持續性的 材料及技術，應用於電子、半導體、電池、 環保塑料等行業，對工業及消費品市場影響 深遠，具有龐大發展空間。 另一方面，香港擁有深厚的生物科技研究基 礎，加上政府致力推動此領域的創科發展， 包括透過香港科技園公司促進生物醫藥研究 商品化，逐漸形成完善的產業生態圈。香港 現時約有300家生物科技相關公司，當中大 部分為醫療健康公司，從事的領域包括製 藥、中藥產品、醫療和診斷器材、生物檢測 技術等。與此同時，香港是深受生物科技公 司歡迎的首次公開招股地點，現為亞太區最 大的生物科技公司首次公開招股中心。 化工及生物科技的進步，不但能創造如醫 藥、醫療器材等新興高增值製造業，亦能助 力其他製造行業升級轉型，提供以生物科學 及化學為基礎的新材料、新製造技術及新應 用場景。隨著國家提出內循環經濟政策，化 工及生物科技業界預期可受惠於國內龐大人 口及對中高端、可持續性高的產品需求，行 業發展勢頭強勁。 Industry Outlook 行業分組前瞻 Chairman: Francis Ip 主席:葉鈞 | Vice-Chairman: Jimmy Tao 副主席:杜偉樑 Hong Kong Chemical and Biotechnology Council 香港化工及生物科技協會 GROUP 1 分組 第 8-10/2021 | 63