HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 22 December 2025 - The Hong Kong Technology and Innovation Support Centre (HKTISC), established by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC), has officially commenced operation with the support of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) and the Intellectual Property Department (IPD) of the HKSAR Government. HKTISC has been jointly recognised by the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) as Hong Kong's first Technology and Innovation Support Centre (TISC).

Mr. Emil YU Chen-on, BBS, JP, Deputy Chairman of HKPC, said: "The official operation of HKTISC is a significant milestone for HKPC. It marks a critical step forward in supporting SMEs in technological innovation and accelerating the development of new productive forces. HKTISC will focus on providing high-quality intellectual property (IP) information and services to local start-ups, SMEs, and innovators, and support them in key areas such as R&D, as well as commercialisation and market application of R&D outcomes — enhancing their core competitiveness and fostering innovation-driven new productive forces."

Three Core Services Empowering Enterprises to Leverage IP

Established under the WIPO Development Agenda framework, TISCs are a dedicated programme designed to provide researchers and innovators with comprehensive information and support services — including patent utilisation, technology search and analysis, technology transfer, IP management and commercialisation. Over 200 TISCs have been set up in Chinese Mainland, and HKTISC is the first such centre in Hong Kong.

HKTISC aims to provide local start-ups, SMEs, and innovation entities with high-quality IP (especially patent) information and services to assist them in exploring their innovation potential and creating, protecting, managing, and commercialising their IPs with a view to protecting R&D outcomes and promoting IP trading. Currently, HKTISC offers three core services, including Patent Search, IP Training and IP Consultation to support local innovators and researchers.

HKPC has started establishing HKTISC since January 2025, and has completed the setup of the physical centre at the HKPC Building in Kowloon Tong, which is open to the public. To date, HKTISC has engaged with over 1,000 innovative entities, actively providing IP-related services to diverse innovative entities. It has conducted over 170 patent searches across various technological fields and offered more than 150 consultation sessions, covering patent application procedure, patentability, and protection strategy. Moreover, 6 IP training sessions have been held, attracting over 300 participants.

In the Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address, the HKSAR Government announced new initiatives such as the "IP Financing Sandbox", patent evaluation and valuation support to promote IP financing. To align with the government's new policy and boost IP trading, with the support of the IPD, HKTISC targets to launch qualitative patent evaluation services based on national standards at earliest from mid-2026, alongside a two-year IP valuation support service to assist SMEs in leveraging their IP for financing — thereby boosting Hong Kong's IP commercialisation and trading.

Looking ahead, HKTISC will continue enhancing Hong Kong's IP service ecosystem, and promoting the commercialisation and financing of R&D outcomes, and help consolidate Hong Kong's strategic position as a regional IP trading centre and international innovation and technology centre.

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Photo captions:
1. Ms. WONG Siu Chu, Maggie, JP, Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Mr. WONG Fuk Loi, David, JP, Director of Intellectual Property, Mr. Emil YU Chen-on, Deputy Chairman of HKPC, Mr. Mohamed D. Butt, Executive Director of HKPC, attended the HKTISC opening ceremony.
2. & 3. Mr. Li Shengjun, Deputy Head of the Patent Office of the CNIPA, visited HKPC and the HKTISC.
4. HKTISC participated as an exhibitor at BIP Asia Forum 2025 to introduce its services. Mr. Chen Hongbing, Director of WIPO Madrid Operations Division (5th from left), visited the booth with Ms. Vivian Lin, Chief Operating Officer of HKPC (4th from left), and Mr. Leslie Shay, Assistant Director of IPD (6th from left).