The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce has recognized the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's Shanghai Center as a foreign-funded open innovation platform.

Jointly established in 2025 by the Xuhui district government, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and the Caohejing Hi-Tech Park Development Corporation, the HKUST Shanghai Center marks the university's first industry-academia-research base in the Yangtze River Delta and is designed to strengthen science and technology cooperation between Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Its educational model allows students in designated two-year master's programs the option of spending one year studying in Hong Kong and another undertaking practical innovation work in Shanghai.

The center's innovation incubator is home to more than 30 science and technology companies, offering support for entrepreneurship and business growth by combining innovation, capital, and industry resources.

It also seeks partnerships with national-level platforms to advance joint R&D and technology transfer in artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, biomedicine, and green and low-carbon technologies.

Earlier in 2026, Xuhui district, where the HKUST Shanghai Center is located, formulated an action plan to promote the high-quality development of foreign-funded R&D centers. The plan encourages businesses to expand R&D and innovation functions and strengthen their research capabilities.

Source: Xuhui district government