An Israeli delegation of 12 technology-related companies arrived in Hong Kong to participate in a Business Matching forum held at the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park (HKSTP) campus. The all-day event on 26 March looked to match the delegate companies with potential suitors.

Co-participants at the event included MATIMOP (Israeli Industry Center for R&D), Office of the Chief Scientist under Israeli Ministry of Economy, Hong Kong SAR’s Innovation and Technology Commission and Israel’s Consulate in Hong Kong and Macau.

Israel’s technology sector is recognised as the world’s second-most-important communication cluster after Silicon Valley in the US, with multinational technology companies such as Cisco, IBM, HP, Intel, Microsoft and Google investing heavily in research and development centres in the country. In addition the number of start-ups constantly increasing, the country serves as a powerful source for profit-driven innovation.

The morning session opened with welcoming remarks by Elad Goz, Consul and Head of Economic and Trade Mission, Israel Consulate in Hong Kong. Avi Luvton, Executive Director, Asia Pacific Desk, MATIMOP, spoke about the Israeli technology companies that were in the event. Andrew Young, Chief Commercial Officer, HKSTP, discussed similarities between the two countries, small populations with limited area and meagre natural resources. Citizens of both are famously hardworking. Janet Wong, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, addressed the delegation during the luncheon event.

“HKSTP endeavours to connect stakeholders from the different innovation landscapes and catalyse their collaborations. We are thrilled to see that today’s business matching event paves way for many potential technology breakthroughs and business partnerships,” explained Young.

“With our proximity to the largest market in the world, our dynamic R&D ecosystem and comprehensive soft-landing programme, Hong Kong is an ideal launch pad for any technology projects and product commercialisation. We look forward to promoting more collaborations between the technology and business players from Hong Kong and Israel so as to generate more social and economic benefits to both places,” added Young.

HKSTP currently has two Israeli companies set up at the science park: Made in Sense Ltd, which is developing intelligent, interactive and intuitive wearable devices, and NeedleWays Ltd, a medical devices company to help physicians.