Our government regconizes the importance of building a business-friendly and helpful environment to enable business established in Hong Kong flourishing and prosper. It renders an extensive range of support services to promote the development and enhance the competitiveness of both the manufacturing and services sectors in Hong Kong.
Funding
A number of funding schemes are administered by the Industry Department to provide funding support for projects which are beneficial to the overall development and enhancement of the competitiveness of the manufacturing and service sectors in Hong Kong.
| Fund | Purpose | Amount |
Applied Research Fund  | For technology ventures and applied research and development projects that have the potential for commercial exploitation | up to 75% of fundable cost items in the form of an interest-bearing loan or equity participation |
| New Technology Training Scheme | For training staff in new technologies | Up to 75% of the cost of training |
| Services Support Fund | For projects which would benefit the overall development of Hong Kong as a service centre; orContribute to the further development of one or more services sectors | Given as a grant (As at 30 Nov., 1998, 40 projects totaling HK$68 million were supported) |
| Industrial Support Fund | For projects beneficial to the industrial and technological development of Hong Kong | Given as a grant but also as a loan in special cases (As at 30 Nov., 98, 371 projects with a total funding commitment of HK$1,375.9 million since 1994) |
| Patent Application Grant | For companies or individuals to apply patent for new inventions to capitalise on their intellectual work | Up to US$12,820 |
| Special Finance Scheme for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) | For SMEs seek financing from lending institutions by providing guarantees | Guarantees provided up to US$256,410 |
Apart from these schemes, the Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre Corporation also provides funding support through its Early Technology Business Capital Loan Scheme and Innovation Loan.
Technology
Hong Kong devotes a large amount of effort developing high technology and high value-added industry. A wide range of institutions has been set up to help the private sector upgrade, innovate and enhance technology.
The Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre Corporation
The Hong Kong Plastics Technology Centre Ltd.
Telecom Technology Centre Corporation
Quick Response Centre for the Textiles and Clothing Industries
Clothing Technology Demonstration Centre Ltd.
Biotechnology Research Institute of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong Institute of biotechnology Ltd.
Productivity and Quality
Productivity and Quality are crucial factors to the long-term development of Hong Kong's industries. Hong Kong's competitiveness maintains also because of such high productivity and quality. The Government and other institutions work in concert to improve the productivity, they are:
The Hong Kong Productivity Council
Design Innovation (HK) Ltd.
The Industry Department
- The Department's Quality Services Division
- The Hong Kong Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (HOKLAS)
- The Product Standards Information Bureau
The Standards and Calibration Laboratory
The Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency
Support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)
All manufacturing and service establishments in Hong Kong is consisted of about 98% of SMEs. The Government identifies the importance of SMEs, which contribute a lot of success to our economy today. And it understands the needs of SMEs are greatly different from those of larger enterprises.
The SMEs Committee was established in 1996 under the Industry Department to address issues of concern to SMEs and to facilitate their continued development. It dedicates its effort to produce a detailed directory of services and facilities available to all SMEs in Hong Kong, but also establish A Special Finance Scheme for SMEs to help SMEs secure finance from participating authorized institutions (PAIs) through the provision of Government guarantee. The maximum Government commitment for the Scheme amounts to HK$2.5 billion
Helping Business and Services Promotion
There are some others government departments giving support to help businesses to run smoothly in Hong Kong .
- The Business and Services Promotion Unit
It was set up to co-ordinate the Helping Business Programme and the Services Promotion Programme aiming at maintaining Hong Kong as the best place in the world for business, as well as a premier services centre in the region.
- Business Licence Information Centre (BLIC)
It is under the Industry Department and established as part of the Government's effort to help business. It provides free one-stop information service for government licences, permits, certificates and approvals that different businesses are required to have to carry out the business in Hong Kong.
