New Momentum for Swiss-Hong Kong Research and Innovation Collaboration

The Swiss–Hong Kong Research & Innovation Reception brought together senior representatives from academia, government, and the research and innovation community. Jointly hosted by Swissnex and the University of Zurich’s (UZH) Leading House Asia Pacific, in collaboration with the Consulate General of Switzerland in Hong Kong, the event highlighted existing ties and explored new opportunities for cooperation in research, education, and innovation.

The reception took place at the start of the official Swiss delegation visit of university and research representatives to Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai, China led by State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), Prof. Martina Hirayama and introduced Swissnex – Hong Kong, strengthening the support for Swiss stakeholders engaging with Hong Kong and the wider Greater Bay Area.

State Secretary Martina Hirayama, Hong Kong Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Lillian Cheong, and Swiss Consul General Daniel Freihofer opened the evening.

Switzerland and Hong Kong are highly internationally connected research and innovation environments, with strong links between their universities and research communities, reflected in over 4,000 scientific co-publications between Switzerland and Hong Kong over the past five years . The reception provided an opportunity to build on these connections and explore how institutional partnerships can support future cooperation.

At the center of the evening was a fireside chat between UZH President Michael Schaepman and President and Vice-Chancellor Zhang Xiang of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), moderated by Amy Lo from UBS. Under the title “Geographies of Excellence,” the two presidents discussed how globally connected universities can sustain research excellence in a changing international environment.

The conversation highlighted resilience as an important foundation for successful research and innovation and explored how being located in international financial centers shapes the research ecosystems of both universities. The two presidents also emphasized the growing importance of international university collaboration, particularly in bringing together complementary strengths to address shared global challenges.

The discussion also pointed to the commonalities between Switzerland and Hong Kong as internationally connected research and innovation hubs and the opportunities these create for strengthening collaboration between their universities and research communities. 

The evening also showcased two examples of research collaboration between Switzerland and Hong Kong. Professor David Atienza, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at EPFL, reflected on more than seven years of collaboration with partners in Hong Kong, including research through the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)-led ACCESS InnoHK center, while Professor Yi-Ru Regina Chen, Professor and Head of the Department of Communication Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), shared insights from an international research collaboration spanning Hong Kong, Switzerland, and Australia. Drawing on their projects, both shared perspectives on how international research partnerships develop and the value they bring.

Chen’s project, “Communicating Net-Zero Effectively: A Trilateral Research Network Across Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Australia,” is funded by the Leading House Asia Pacific. It illustrates how targeted funding can help initiate and strengthen international research networks across the Asia-Pacific region.

The introduction of Swissnex – Hong Kong as a specialized part of Swissnex in China follows the growing momentum of Switzerland’s research and innovation presence in the region. It contributes to the existing Swiss network and structures on the ground, providing Swiss stakeholders with local networks, ecosystem knowledge and access to opportunities in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and the wider Greater Bay Area.

The Leading House Asia Pacific, hosted by UZH on behalf of the Swiss higher education sector and mandated by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), complements this local presence by facilitating academic exchange and research cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region through funding, network-building, and outreach activities. Together, the two platforms provide complementary support for Swiss institutions seeking to develop and strengthen partnerships in the region.

The reception concluded with a networking dinner, offering further opportunities to strengthen connections between participants from Switzerland and Hong Kong. For UZH, the event reflected its broader commitment as Leading House Asia Pacific to fostering long-term research and innovation partnerships across the region.