Dr Daniel Brooker, Director of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), China, introduced the variety of work they do in bridging opportunities in bilateral and multilateral collaborations - including global scoping workshops, global expert missions, global business innovation programmes, global incubator programme and R&D&I grant funding programmes.

As China accounts for more IP filings globally than any other country, and is home to some of the world’s leading research institutions and companies, it is important to carefully consider how to protect your IP when entering into R&D collaboration projects. CBBC invited Samuel Stone, Intellectual Property Attaché from the British Embassy, China and Harrison Lee, Senior Associate Trade from Potter Clarkson LLP, to jointly give the audience an in-depth analysis on best practice.

Mark Hedley, Director of Knowledge Economy, CBBC then provided a an overview of China’s innovation ecosystem, including policy priorities and trends in early-stage R&D. Technological innovation was described as being central to China’s plan of accelerating productivity, boosting living standards, and achieving the country’s 2060 Net Zero commitments. The 14th Five Year Plan (2021-2025) commits China to increasing R&D spending by 7% annually. Regional initiatives, such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area (GBA), are establishing new technology clusters, with advanced infrastructure, funding mechanisms, and IP protection systems to foster innovation.

The GBA cluster incorporates 11 cities in the south including Shenzhen, Hong-Kong and Guangzhou, ranked as No.1 innovation cluster in China and No.2 globally. There are emerging innovation hubs in Dongguan, Zhuhai and Zhongshan where the last speaker of the event gave an overall introduction of the cooperation zone based in Hengqin, Zhuhai.

For the last session, Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Development Co., Ltd. provided an overview of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, which is one of the key cooperation zones in the GBA development. Deputy General Manager ZHANG Daqing also answered questions from online participants and introduced specific innovation policies and international cooperation cases in the cooperation zone.

The cooperation zone will develop new industries to facilitate Macao's economic diversification. Sci-tech research and high-end manufacturing will be developed, while traditional Chinese medicine and other Macao signature businesses and industries (culture and tourism, conventions and exhibitions, and modern finance) will be promoted.

For more information about IP, the innovation landscape in China and opportunities in the GBA, please contact: