American youths visited Guangzhou Nansha and felt the pulse of innovation and entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area
The flagship event of the "Bridge of the Future" Sino-US Youth Exchange Program "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" theme group visited Guangzhou Nansha from 16th to 17th June. More than ten American youth representatives visited the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)(HKUST(GZ)) and its Fok Ying Tung Research Institute to gain an in-depth understanding of the innovation and entrepreneurship environment in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Guangzhou Nansha is located in the geometric center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and is a pivotal node connecting the urban clusters on both sides of the Pearl River Estuary and Hong Kong and Macao. In recent years, the cooperation between Guangzhou Nansha and Hong Kong and Macao has being deepen and being consolidated, and the science and technology innovation ecology has being optimized. HKUST(GZ) settled in Nansha, injecting more international innovative elements into higher education in Nansha and even the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
At the HKUST(GZ) INNOTECH which was held on 16th June, many cutting-edge technology projects were unveiled. Two-wheeled self-balancing robots, drone takeout delivery, etc. attracted American youths’ attention.
Michael Fergus from Chicago, USA, works in market research at Euromonitor International and also founded two companies. He mentioned that it was his first time to visit Guangdong and he was deeply impressed by the scope and scale of innovation here.
“Everyone is paying attention to interdisciplinary fields, which can bring new ideas to the market.” Michael Fergus said, “We have cooperation with many companies in China. A table card game being developed by one of our companies, is produced in Guangdong. I believe there will be more opportunities for cooperation in the future.”
At the Sino-US Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Roundtable, representatives from both sides shared the innovation and entrepreneurship environments of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area of China and the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States.
Jonathan Ginsberg, President of a California education services and technology companies, believes that Guangdong’s advantage is the world’s factory, while Silicon Valley’s advantage is software innovation. This trip to Guangdong gave him a more comprehensive understanding of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He saw that many companies in Guangdong now have their own developed products and software.
Jonathan said that both the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the San Francisco Bay Area have attracted talents from different regions to innovate and start businesses, which shows that talents are very important for bay areas. He admitted that he would facilitate more Americans come to China in the future to enhance mutual understanding.
On the 17th, American youth representatives visited the Fok Ying Tung Research Institute of the HKUST(GZ). The institute is HKUST's most important innovative technology research and development and technological achievement transformation platform for Mainland China. It launched in Nansha, Guangzhou in January 2007. It is the first scientific research institution with Hong Kong background in Guangzhou and one of the first batch of new R&D institutions in Guangdong Province.
In the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Science and Technology Cooperation Achievements Exhibition Hall of the Fok Ying Tung Research Institute of the HKUST(GZ), American youth representatives visited technological projects such as racing bicycle R&D and testing platform, lithium battery membrane, and unmanned boat. They also visited the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao (International) Youth Entrepreneur Hub and closely experienced the innovative vitality of young makers.
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