The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office (the Office) under the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau will set up a booth at the Entrepreneur Day exhibition at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on December 7 and 8 to showcase the opportunities brought about by the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) for business start-ups and introduce the various support services available so as to provide useful information for talent, particularly Hong Kong young people, who intend to start their businesses in the GBA.
 
     A spokesman for the Office said today (December 6) that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has all along attached great importance to the development of the GBA, and has introduced a number of policy measures in various areas to support Hong Kong residents and enterprises to make good use of the development opportunities of the GBA. The Government also encourages Hong Kong young people to aim high and unleash their potential in the GBA.
 
     The booth set up by the Office disseminates rich information including the work of the HKSAR Government in taking forward GBA development, funding schemes to support innovation and entrepreneurship by Hong Kong young people in the GBA, as well as how the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Promotion Centre set up under the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong, which came into operation in April this year, can provide enhanced support for Hong Kong people and enterprises pursuing development in the GBA. In addition, the booth tells the stories of how a number of Hong Kong young people have seized the opportunities of GBA development to realise their entrepreneurial aspirations.
 
     The spokesman for the Office said the HKSAR Government has all along attached great importance to telling the good stories of the GBA and would continue to make use of diversified channels to disseminate positive and up-to-date information about the development of the GBA. The Office will also set up a Greater Bay Area Information Station (GBAIS) at the booth. Through the simple and easy-to-use GBAIS interface, visitors can learn more about the policies and facilitation measures in different areas and practical information about living in the Mainland cities of the GBA.
　　    
     The Entrepreneur Day exhibition will be held at Hall 1 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Office booth  will be located at Hall 1E (Booth 1E – E02) and will be open from 9am to 6pm on December 7 and 8. Admission is free. Online pre-registration is required. Please visit the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's website (www.hktdc.com/event/eday/en) for more details.
  
     For further information about the GBA, please visit the dedicated website (www.bayarea.gov.hk/en), which also covers the content of the GBAIS (www.bayarea.gov.hk/gbais/en) for easy browsing by members of the public.

     The Education Bureau (EDB) will launch a new round of applications under the Electronic Advance Application System for Post-secondary Programmes (E-APP) (www.eapp.gov.hk) tomorrow (December 7) to enable current Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination candidates to make advance applications for full-time locally accredited sub-degree and undergraduate programmes that are not covered under the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) for the 2024/25 academic year (including sub-degree programmes under the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors and most of the eligible programmes under the Non-means-tested Subsidy Scheme for Self-financing Undergraduate Studies in Hong Kong). Around 30 post-secondary institutions and their subsidiaries will take part in the new round of the E-APP.

     The E-APP is a free electronic application platform. Applicants may complete one application via the E-APP to apply for most post-secondary programmes that are not covered under the JUPAS. Relevant institutions will process applications from the E-APP as early as possible and may give eligible candidates conditional offers before the announcement of HKDSE Examination results.

     The main round of E-APP applications will run from tomorrow until May 20, 2024, and the second round of applications will last from May 24 to July 8, 2024. In general, institutions will first process applications received in the main round.

     "Before applying via the E-APP, students may watch the tutorial videos on the application procedure on the E-APP website and browse the Concourse for Self-financing Post-secondary Education website (www.cspe.edu.hk), which provide information on post-secondary institutions and details of about 430 full-time locally-accredited Higher Diploma, Associate Degree and undergraduate programmes that are not covered under the JUPAS, including their tuition fees, entry requirements, and accreditation and recognition by relevant professional bodies. Institutions' estimated numbers of intake places, their application and admission arrangements for the 2024/25 academic year as well as their past admission scores and graduate statistics will also be uploaded onto the Concourse," a spokesperson for the EDB said.

     The Concourse will also provide information on full-time University Grants Committee-funded undergraduate programmes offering senior year places, and self-financing top-up degree programmes in the 2024/25 academic year, so as to help graduates and students of sub-degree programmes plan their further studies.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Ministry of Finance will issue Renminbi Sovereign Bonds through the Central Moneymarkets Unit of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Please find attached the tender notice and the tender information memorandum of the Renminbi Sovereign Bonds to be issued by the Ministry of Finance. Please also find attached the tender-related information provided by the Issuing and Lodging Agent through the HKMA.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 6) that the park located east of Fan Kam Road (i.e. part of the Old Course of the Fanling Golf Course) will be temporarily closed from December 7 to 9 to facilitate an event to be held at the Fanling Golf Course. The fee-charging carpark will continue to be open during the period. The park will be reopened for public use at 9am on December 10.

     Members of the public who plan to visit the park can walk from Exit B1 of the Sheung Shui MTR Station for about 20 minutes, or take various bus and minibus routes to get there. A fee-charging public carpark is also available at the park for public use.

     Following is the video speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the InnoHK Summit 2023 today (December 6):
      
Professor Lap-chee Tsui (Chairman of InnoHK Steering Committee), Mr Albert Wong (Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
      
     Good morning to you all. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the InnoHK Summit 2023.
      
     I am especially delighted to welcome close to 70 world-class scientists and researchers from all around the globe. This is indeed a gathering of great minds. 
      
     InnoHK is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's pioneering initiative in promoting global research collaboration. With an allocation of HK$10 billion, that is US$1.28 billion, it brings together leading researchers from top universities and institutions in the world.
      
     The theme of today's InnoHK Summit is "From Collaborative Research to Real World Impact", which aptly summarises the importance we attach to international collaboration. For knowledge advancement, for addressing global issues, and for transforming scientific findings into innovations that benefit humankind.  
      
     Under the unique "one country, two systems" principle, Hong Kong is bestowed with the unparalleled connectivity with both the Mainland of China and the rest of the world. Hong Kong has long been a leading international financial, shipping and trading centre. And we are determined to emerge as one of the major international hubs of innovation and technology (I&T) in the region.
      
     In my Policy Address two months ago, I announced a series of new initiatives targeting our I&T sector. They range from pressing ahead with new industrialisation and artificial intelligence (AI) development, to providing new land supply for I&T use and digitising government services.
      
     Here, I wish to highlight our key strategies in further enhancing Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem and promoting global collaboration, namely attracting talent and enterprises.  
      
     First, on creating a sustainable supply of talent. Hong Kong is the only Asian city that has as many as five universities in the world's top 100. We are determined to continue nurturing our own talent, and rise as an international hub for post-secondary education.
      
     Meanwhile, to fuel our future growth, we are determined to attract talent from around the world to Hong Kong. In just the past year, our various talent admission schemes have attracted over 180 000 applicants, with over 110 000 applications approved so far. Some 70 000 talents have already obtained their entry visas and made their move to Hong Kong. That is two times as much as our annual target of 35 000.
      
     Furthermore, under our Global STEM Professorship Scheme, more than 50 top scholars from around the globe have taken up new academic positions in Hong Kong, with dozens more arriving in the future.
      
     This new wave of professionals and academics will help to inject an important impetus to our talent pool, and synergise with our home-grown talent in driving the city's development.
      
     Second, on attracting enterprises. Last year, I announced our plans to attract global enterprises in strategic industries such as life sciences, AI, fintech, advanced manufacturing and new energy technology. So far, we have already secured 30 key enterprises' expansion or establishment in Hong Kong in the past year. These companies will invest nearly US$4 billion here, and create 10 000 jobs, the majority of which are scientific research and management positions.
      
     These developments, ladies and gentlemen, will allow Hong Kong to continue to be a world-class hub for collaboration among great minds, in the fields of scientific research, nurturing start-ups and growing your businesses.
      
     Hong Kong values multilateralism. Our InnoHK initiative strives to build a global network of mutual learning and advancement. In a world rife with political turmoil and protectionist forces, I hope InnoHK can help to remind us that collaboration should always prevail over confrontation. Win-win solutions over winner-takes-all scenarios. Building bridges over building walls.
      
     I encourage you all to draw on the spirit of collaboration, and make lasting connections that will lead to more scientific breakthroughs and innovations, here, today, in Asia's world city. Thank you.