Upcoming “Tiangong Class” to Inspire Hong Kong and Macao Students in Aerospace Science Education

“Tiangong Class” Hong Kong and Macao Designated Session enhances Hong Kong and Macao youths’ understanding of aerospace science and national aerospace achievements

A government spokesman announced today (September 5) that a “Tiangong Class” Hong Kong and Macao Designated Session will be held soon. This will be a valuable aerospace science education activity, allowing students to watch live demonstrations of science experiments conducted in the unique environment of space, with a view to enhancing their knowledge of aerospace science and stimulating their interest in learning. Students can also learn from the three astronauts of the Shenzhou-23 crew, who are currently carrying out a manned space mission at the Tiangong Space Station, thereby building their aspirations, encouraging them to be daring to explore, further cultivating their patriotism and strengthening national identity.

The “Tiangong Class” activity, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government, the Macao SAR Government, and the China Manned Space Agency, includes an expert lecture, an in-orbit demonstration and a student question-and-answer session. It aims to vividly showcase the unique environment of space and the allure of space science and technology to the young people of Hong Kong and Macao. The Shenzhou-23 crew will conduct an exciting demonstration of science experiments for participating Hong Kong and Macao students at the Tiangong Space Station, engaging in a rare “dialogue between space and Earth”. The Education Bureau will arrange for teachers and students in primary and secondary schools to watch the live broadcast on campuses on the day of the event.

Under the theme of “A Shared Cosmic Vision for National Rejuvenation”, the HKSAR Government, in collaboration with various relevant organisations, has launched a series of popular science education and publicity events to provide members of the public with more opportunities to learn about the stellar achievements of the country’s aerospace technology development and the HKSAR’s contributions to the national space endeavours. It aims to inspire young people to engage in the field of innovation and technology (I&T) through various activities, with a view to nurturing more I&T talent for the country and the HKSAR, better integrating into and serving the overall national development, and making greater contributions to building a strong nation and achieving national rejuvenation.

The spokesman said: “China’s manned space programme continues to achieve significant successes. As a national-level space laboratory, the Chinese Space Station not only serves asa vital platform for conducting research in space science, space technology and space applications, but also provides valuable educational resources for young people to learn about cutting-edge technologies, explore the unknown and study science. The ‘Tiangong Class’ Hong Kong and Macao Designated Session builds a bridge for learning and exploration connecting Earth and space, guiding young people in Hong Kong and Macao to gain a deeper understanding of the remarkable achievements of the country’s manned space development.”

He added: “The Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Macao SAR Government will organise a delegation of teachers and students from Macao to take part in the ‘Tiangong Class’ in Hong Kong. By jointly participating in this national-level science popularisation and patriotic education activity, students from Hong Kong and Macao will experience their connection with the country’s scientific and technological development, ignite their passion for science, and cultivate a sense of patriotism.”

On the day of the event, live online broadcast of the “Tiangong Class” Hong Kong and Macao Designated Session will be arranged on the Information Services Department’s website (webcast.info.gov.hk), the news.gov.hk Facebook page, as well as the “A Shared Cosmic Vision for National Rejuvenation” thematic website (www.itib.gov.hk/zh-hk/payloadexpert). In addition, the Radio Television Hong Kong and other local television stations will also arrange live broadcasts, allowing all people in Hong Kong to witness this historic moment.

Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster remains No. 1 in Global Innovation Index 2026

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026 top 100 innovation clusters today (September 8), among which the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranks first globally once again.

A spokesman for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government said, “We warmly welcome the innovation cluster ranking published by WIPO, which reaffirms the outstanding innovative capacity and the innovation and technology (I&T)-supporting financing ecosystem of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

“Expediting I&T development has been a policy priority of this Government. The Government has been committed to enhancing the I&T ecosystem, as it continues to develop the original grant patent system and introduces the patent box regime, which offers tax concessions for intellectual property income to promote innovation. It is also deepening Hong Kong’s collaboration with our GBA sister cities while optimising the local I&T development paradigm and driving the in-depth integration of technological and industrial innovation. The goal is to spearhead the development of Hong Kong into an international I&T centre and contribute to building a technologically advanced nation. Our efforts have started to bear fruit. The number of start-ups rose from over 1 500 in 2015 to more than 5 200 in 2025, and Hong Kong Science Park and Cyberport, the two I&T flagships, have collectively witnessed the birth of around 20 unicorns to date. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone (the Loop Hong Kong Park) was officially opened in December 2025, and over 100 technology enterprises and institutions have signed leases and begun moving in. By leveraging the advantages of the strong alliance of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, the Loop Hong Kong Park will be an important platform for basic scientific research, commercialisation, pilot production and international I&T collaboration in the GBA, driving high-quality development. The San Tin Technopole Company Limited was also officially established in June 2026 to press ahead with the development of 210 hectares of I&T land in the San Tin Technopole, which will form a crucial node for the integrated development of upstream, midstream and downstream industries together with the Loop Hong Kong Park.

“Hong Kong has a vibrant private equity market, with assets under management of close to US$250 billion, ranking second in Asia after the Chinese Mainland. The Government has been enhancing the development of venture financing as a key element of Hong Kong’s I&T and commercialisation ecosystem. The establishment of a HK$10 billion I&T Industry-Oriented Fund, together with another HK$10 billion Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme and the Pilot I&T Acceleration Scheme, aims to reinforce the funding continuum from university research and seed-stage entrepreneurship to scale-up, industrial application and global market expansion. At the same time, the Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited acts as patient capital, investing in smaller and early-stage ventures with a long-term horizon to steer long-term market capital towards emerging and future industries. These initiatives all help deepen the I&T cluster’s entrepreneurial and venture-financing base, thereby facilitating more new economy and technology enterprises with potential to raise funds and expand their businesses in Hong Kong.

“Going forward, we will proactively align with the National 15th Five-Year Plan to strengthen our strategic positioning as an international I&T centre. Hong Kong will further deepen collaboration with the GBA sister cities, contributing to our country’s efforts in building a modern industrial system and achieving high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and strength.”

The GII Cluster ranking identifies local concentrations of world-class innovation activity using three key metrics, viz international patent filings via WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), scientific publications, and the number of venture capital deals. For this year’s ranking, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster filed 2 259 PCT applications, published 4 060 scientific articles, and had 138 venture capital deals, all per 1 million inhabitants over the last five years.