Hong Kong connects European innovators to Greater Bay Area I&T opportunities

For two years, large language model (LLM) specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov, 25, had been building an artificial intelligence (AI)-native platform for German medical practices to make healthcare more efficient.

Cem Araz, a medical school graduate and founder of preventive health start-up heal.health, was also developing healthcare technology solutions and looking for ways to scale his ventures globally.

Aleksandr and Cem were among the nearly 250 finalists from across Europe who took part in the Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE) x EuroTech Hackathon. The hackathon later led to an opportunity for winners and EuroTech Federation representatives to join a 20-member delegation that visited Hong Kong, Qianhai in Shenzhen and Nansha in Guangzhou – cities in the wider Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) in September.

Over five days, the delegation toured I&T hubs in Hong Kong, including Cyberport, Hong Kong Science Park, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park and the Northern Metropolis, and also visited local I&T institutions and enterprises in Qianhai of Shenzhen and Nansha of Guangzhou.

They also met leading companies, incubators, research institutions and start-ups to explore opportunities in AI, robotics, smart transport and biotechnology — gaining first-hand insight into the support available to help global talent scale their ventures and establish a long-term footprint in the region.

The visit is a targeted extension of Hong Kong’s wider talent strategy, which increasingly aligns the talent it attracts with the industries the city aims to grow, particularly I&T.

Said Aleksandr: “The visit connected us with leading technology companies such as Tencent, as well as major tech hubs within the Hong Kong ecosystem, including Cyberport. It really opened my eyes to the scale of opportunity here and the level of support the region offers to aspiring founders.”

Delegates get an up-close look at robotics technology during a visit to the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone.

PHOTO: HONG KONG TALENT ENGAGE

Beyond the finance hub

Before the delegation, Cem knew Hong Kong as a financial hub, but the delegation opened his eyes to its dynamic I&T start-up ecosystem and deepened his interest in building his business there. 

Meeting founders, industry leaders and incubators gave him a clearer view of how to scale in the region, while initiatives in healthcare, tech innovation and talent attraction measures led him to see Hong Kong as both a high-potential market and a springboard into the GBA and the wider Chinese Mainland.

“The visit showed me the doors opening across the I&T industry in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and beyond. With an ageing population being a prevalent issue in Hong Kong, I see great potential to scale our start-up’s ‘AI doctor’ technology. It is a perfect landscape to make medical assistance more accessible and efficient for the people who need it most,” Cem said. 

The opportunities Aleksandr and Cem are seeking – capital, customers, strategic partners, and the right conditions to scale – are shared by many European founders. 

Europe may have a formidable deep-tech sector with venture capital-backed deep-tech companies collectively valued at about US$690 billion (S$882 billion), but the 2026 European Deeptech Report published in March said getting the money needed to grow remains a problem for many.

For founders like Aleksandr and Cem, that makes looking farther afield part of the calculation.

Hong Kong: a high-potential gateway to scale

Hong Kong, as a springboard for global innovators into the GBA, whose gross domestic product exceeded RMB15 trillion in 2025 (S$2.8 trillion), offers vast opportunities. To invest in I&T, the Hong Kong government announced a HKD10 billion (S$1.6 billion) I&T Industry-Oriented Fund in its 2026 Budget, which began operating this year. 

Moreover, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster retained first place globally for a second year in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2026 cluster ranking, which assesses international patent filings, scientific publications and venture-capital deals.

Innovators in Hong Kong have easy access to local I&T organisations and enterprises, enabling them from any sector to explore industrial applications, forge new partnerships and tap into GBA opportunities to expand their regional horizons.

For HKTE, the work continues well beyond the five-day visit: whether those introductions turn into lasting ties with Hong Kong – and, for those who choose to stay, how easily they can put down roots.

Since Hong Kong enhanced its talent admission schemes at the end of 2022, more than 660,000 applications had been received under various talent admission schemes as of July 2026, with over 300,000 people having arrived in Hong Kong to develop their careers. 

HKTE’s director Felix Chan says: “Competitions spark interest, but experiencing the ecosystem first-hand is what turns thoughts into action. Following the visit, we will remain in close touch with global talent like Aleksandr and Cem, providing continuous guidance, access to talent attraction initiatives, and comprehensive support as they consider Hong Kong for long-term development.”

Looking ahead, HKTE will continue its global outreach through initiatives such as the London Career Showcase this October, where over 50 enterprises will offer more than 200 job opportunities, providing prospective professionals with practical pathways into Hong Kong’s vibrant career market.

Explore the opportunities available and find out which talent admission scheme may be right for you at www.hkengage.gov.hk