Mr Nicholas Yang, the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, paid a three-nation visit to France, the United Kingdom (UK) and Switzerland in June to update the European community on Hong Kong's latest developments in the innovation and technology (I&T) arena.

Mr Yang joined Mrs Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive, and Mr Edward Yau, the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, in Paris from June 19 to 21, where they met with Mr Edouard Philippe, the French Prime Minister. Together with the Chief Executive, Mr Yang witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Institut Pasteur, the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC) on establishing a joint biomedical research centre within the HKSTPC’s healthcare technologies research cluster.

Mr Yang then visited to the UK on June 22 to meet with senior officials and representatives from the I&T sector to boost links between the two places. During Mr Yang’s stay in the UK, he visited Oxford Sciences Innovation and renowned biomedical research centre Francis Crick Institute and joined the Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics at Imperial College, urging world-class scientific research teams to look into opportunities that Hong Kong can offer, and to set foot in Hong Kong and collaborate with local research teams. At a luncheon co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London and Invest Hong Kong, he also highlighted Hong Kong's active participation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area development and the new 87-hectare Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park in Lok Ma Chau Loop, inviting British researchers, entrepreneurs and investors to seize tremendous opportunities.

Mr Yang then made brief stops in Basel and Zurich in Switzerland on the last leg of his European visit. On June 27, Mr Yang visited two pharmaceutical firms, Novartis and Roche. He introduced the HK$10 billion plan of funding for healthcare technologies and artificial intelligence and robotics research clusters, encouraging more research and development to improve healthcare services and seeking opportunities for collaboration. In Zurich, Mr Yang called on Ms Corine Mauch, the Mayor, and said he would look forward to forging more collaboration between Hong Kong and Zurich, following the release of the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong.