In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit Cyberport Hong Kong, an institution at the forefront of technological innovation and digital community development. Cyberport is a technology-driven business park and digital community that has played a pivotal role in elevating Hong Kong's status as a prominent global technology hub in the Asia-Pacific region. Established by the Hong Kong Government in 2003, Cyberport's primary objective is to foster innovation and entrepreneurship within the technology sector. 

During our visit, we were fortunate to receive a presentation from Mike Fuchs, who provided valuable insights into Cyberport's organizational structure. Cyberport is organized into six key clusters, each specializing in a distinct area: Applications: FinTech, Smart Living or Smart City, Digital Entertainment and Technological: AI and Big Data, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. 

Over the past two decades, Cyberport has attracted over 1,900 community members, with 800 currently on site and the remainder having graduated from support programs or moved to other work locations. Among these members are notable success stories such as GoGoX, and Klook, each making significant contributions to their respective industries. It was also pointed out that Cyberport is a melting pot of cyber culture, where the majority of the members are locals. However, Cyberport embraces a diverse and inclusive culture, with founders hailing from Hong Kong, mainland China, and various parts of the world, including Western countries like Australia, the US, the UK, France, and Belgium, as well as Asian nations such as Japan and South Korea. The organization's support programs are open to innovators from across the globe, as long as they have a promising idea and a viable proposal. Cyberport boasts impressive infrastructure with interconnected phases. Currently, in Phase 3, they are building Phase 4 with the University of Hong Kong and plan to finish Phase 5 by 2025, emphasizing digital entertainment and related ventures.

Nonetheless, the organization is not only about physical space but also about providing a nurturing environment for startups. It offers a range of support programs and networks to help startups thrive. These include the Micro Fund, Incubation Program, and a host of networks like the Enterprise Network, Investors Network, Technology Network, and Professional Services Network. The Micro Fund, for instance, provides funding of HK$100,000 to support aspiring entrepreneurs with innovative ideas. 

On the third day of our Field Trip to the Greater Bay Area, we had the opportunity to visit the Geospatial Lab in Hongkong. With the Development Bureau of Hong Kong as a main sponsor, the lab’s mission is to support the development of a smart city and educate the public on the importance of collecting and using geospatial data. The Geospatial Lab is operated by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals and is connected to the Smart City Consortium (SCC) and the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI). The lab also entered worldwide collaborations with countries like France, the USA, Hungary, Switzerland, Egypt, and Israel. Dr. Kenneth Tang, the Chairman of the Spatial Data Infrastructure Committee, gave us a glimpse into the world of smart city development and geospatial data, highlighting its importance to Hongkong's urban planning. One of many interesting use cases Dr. Tang presented was the combined use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to be able to integrate a digital building into the surrounding environment. This allows for example to analyse how the noise levels in the neighborhood impact the different areas of the integrated building. Given Hongkong's limited land supply situation, urban planning is crucial.

Smart city development is based on four pillars: technology, data, talents, and policy. Dr. Tang emphasized that the implementation of policies is of high importance as they serve as regulations for the other pillars. During the visit, we learned that Hongkong's smart city plan covers areas like finance, transportation, economics, and pollution control. Data is acquired through satellites, sensors, cameras, transportation networks and other technologies. The collected data is then stored in the Common Spatial Data Infrastructure (CSDI), an integrated platform which provides a direct access to different datasets.  

Even though some data might be difficult to collect due to privacy concerns, the lab is actively involved in educating people on the importance of spatial data to create trust and to develop smart city solutions. By providing a space for students and start-ups to share and explore ideas on the use of spatial data in different sectors, the lab positively impacts the quality of life of the residents of Hongkong. They do this by offering online or offline events, providing on-site advisory or consulting services or by providing a venue equipped with all necessary computing devices.  

In conclusion, our visit to the Geospatial Lab was a great experience. Dr. Kenneth Tang and his team introduced us to the significance of geospatial data in smart city development followed by a lively Q&A session. We even had the chance to get a tour of their lab, where we could test and learn about their equipment and urban planning programs. 

On Wednesday afternoon, we had the opportunity to visit the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Prior to the official program, we savoured a traditional lunch at one of the campus's restaurants. Following that, we enjoyed a tour through the robotics institute and engaged in valuable discussions with students from the Master of Information Systems Program. 

HKUST is a relatively young university established in 1991. It is a research-intensive institution with a strong focus on engineering, technology, business and management, as well as humanities and social sciences. HKUST is highly regarded, consistently ranking among the top 100 universities worldwide. The university has around 17,000 students, with nearly 40% of them being international students, primarily from mainland China. HKUST graduates are highly valued in the Hong Kong job market due to the university's international reputation. 

As of 2022, HKUST has played a significant role in fostering over 1,600 active startup companies, resulting in an economic impact of over HK$400 billion. Many of these startups were founded or co-founded by faculty or alumni, such as DJI, Googol Technology, and 4Paradigm. Professor Li Zexiang, known as the "Godfather of Hidden Entrepreneurship in China," has encouraged entrepreneurship within the university. 

Robotic Institute 

Our initial visit took us to the Robotic Lab, where a team of enthusiastic young researchers greeted us. They eagerly presented their cutting-edge work in drone technology. We witnessed a captivating live demonstration featuring two drones from DJI, both of which were developed within their laboratory. 

The first drone, the DJI Air 3, boasts the capability of detecting barriers in its path. Equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, it halts immediately upon nearing an obstacle, overriding any contrary commands from its operator. This innovative technology has been the students' focus since 2021. The other drone, the DJI Spark, was their second exhibit and is designed to respond to hand gestures. Introduced in 2018, this technology now allows the drone to operate within a 10-meter radius of the user, catering mainly to personal users who aim to capture selfies or panoramic videos. 

The team's ambition doesn't stop there. Their upcoming venture is to merge the features of both drones. The objective is to craft a drone adept at recognizing hand gestures and obstacles, working closely with their main project sponsor DJI. 

The next stop of our guided tour within the lab: “The Robotic Arms Laboratory”. 

They showcased a robotic arm using advanced algorithms and machine learning that were fully developed at HKUST. This arm can independently turn pages, potentially offering valuable assistance to people with disabilities. Additionally, the arm's technology is reused for other MVPs like an arm that can differentiate balls of various colors from a container and pick up a chosen color.  

Business Information Management Class exchange 

Following our tour of the Robotic Lab, the university representatives introduced us to the business school department. There, we had the opportunity to interact with students from the Management of Information System program. 

The dean of the business school presented the details of their Master's program in Management of Information Systems. He then invited us to outline our program to compare and contrast the two curriculums. Emanuele and Stephan took over to present our study Program at FHNW. In general, the following similarities and differences have been detected: 

Similarities:

• Course is split into core and elective modules.

• The program is offered for full-time and part-time students.

• Projects with companies e.g., cloud computing services of Alibaba is one of their projects

Differences:

• They don’t have to write a master’s Thesis

• The HKUST Program lasts one year independently if you are studying full-time or not, whereas ours is 1.5 years to 2.5 years.

• The Electives of the HKUST mainly concentrate on two focus areas: financial technology and entrepreneurship and technology.

• limited opportunities for networking events 

After the formal discussion, we had about one hour for a cross-cultural dialogue with the local students. Notably, most of the students we engaged with come from mainland China. Given their different educational system, they were considerably younger than our group. In our reflection session, we pooled together our interactions and experiences with the students.  

During our visit, we encountered highly curious and open-minded students who were interested in learning about our educational system and professional experiences. Their academic environment appeared to be very intense, with significant pressure on students to excel in a competitive atmosphere. We believe this might also be why they fear making errors or mistakes more than we do.  

Contrary to what we heard, we observed that there is also some cultural shift. They are seeking greater work-life balance and young women, in particular, are focusing on their careers and choosing to marry later in life. 

Overall, meeting the local students and having such an open-minded exchange was a great experience.  

We had the chance to visit one of the five co-working spaces of Hex Space: Entrepreneurship Island for Returned International Talents (EIRIT). The focus is set on international talents, both from overseas as well as returnees that come back home to China. Attracting these kinds of talents is what differentiated this incubator from the others we had the pleasure of visiting. 

EIRIT's draw for international talents stems from its focused approach and services tailored to key industries. EIRIT identified the industries with the most potential in the Greater Bay Area: 

·      Intelligent manufacturing

·      Electrical & Electronics

·      Biomedicine

These sectors are not only high growth but also align with global trends, making them attractive for talents seeking opportunities.

Besides getting some general insights into their offer for returnees and international talents, we had the great pleasure of hearing from two of them. One returnee from the USA and one from Australia. They are both in very different stages of their start-ups and focus on different topics. Our group was very interested in learning directly from them, how they see the differences between how China does business versus the Western world. We subjected them also to the variances between the cultures and values and why they chose to return. In summary, they emphasized that the differences are less than we might perceive. East or West – people are the same. Especially in higher management levels, the hierarchy and style are more similar. They have been drawn back to their homes, due to the obvious advantages, like being close to the hardware supply chain. EIRIT is attractive to them since they can find and meet through them key resources, like engineers, suppliers, and consultants. When asked about what learned element they incorporated from their time overseas, they highlighted the importance of digital marketing, both to connect with their stakeholder and also for example to get funding via a Kickstarter campaign. The use of Western-driven social media sparked further questions from students after the formal session concluded. 

One surprising revelation was their short-term focus and planning, their planning horizon reaches one to two months ahead only, very dynamically adapting to how things unfold. While they talked about not being high stakes driven, when it comes to growing their businesses fast, but rather enjoying the process, connecting to people instead of chasing money intensely, they also both opened their introduction, with them having just finished their workdays only in the early morning,  just hours before, being tired and exhausted. Like many founders and entrepreneurs around the world, East or West. 

To find more information about Hex Space and EIRIT, visit their website, LinkedIn page, or Instagram as well as our summary of their offer below. 

Hex Space' comprehensive support hub offers similar benefits as other incubators in the area with the twist of the focus on supporting talents with international backgrounds. Here is how they try to appeal to potential talents:

·      Policy Expertise and Resources:  Understanding government policies and gaining access to resources are often stumbling blocks for newcomers. Hex Space bridges this gap by providing policy consultation, resource matching, and connections to industrial parks and financing institutes. This support eases the startup journey.

·      Free Office Space: Hex Space's provision of free office space for up to 12 months. It liberates entrepreneurs from the burden of immediate rent, allowing them to invest their resources where it matters most – in their ideas and businesses.

·      Thriving Community: Hex Space doesn't stop at office space; it fosters a thriving entrepreneurial community. The opportunity to connect with fellow entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds and regularly engage in entrepreneurial events. This sense of belonging can be a powerful incentive for talents seeking to establish themselves.

·      Knowledge Empowerment: EIRIT doesn't just provide physical space; it empowers talents with knowledge. Through seminars on policies, finance, taxation, and legal matters, they ensure that entrepreneurs are well-equipped to navigate the complex business landscape of China.

·      No Age or Nationality Restrictions: Hex Space opens its doors to all, irrespective of age or nationality. This inclusivity breaks down barriers and encourages talents from around the world to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.

·      Holistic Assistance: Beyond business support, Hex Space offers a holistic package to support newcomers with the often-daunting task of adapting to a new country.  

In the afternoon, we had the incredible opportunity to visit the Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robots for Society (AIRS). AIRS stands as a pioneering institution in the field of artificial intelligence technology and robotics. AIRS has set out to redefine the traditional research institution by developing a unique and modern research institute model. With an integration of university knowledge and innovative endeavors, the institute is actively fostering international partnerships while addressing the demands of various industries. This endeavor positions AIRS as a hub that attracts experts from around the globe. The institute is home to Chinese and international academicians, scholars, and industry professionals who specialize in various facets of robotics, including special robotics, intelligent robots, micro-nanorobots, swarm intelligence, and machine learning. To successfully implement AI applications across industries and healthcare, AIRS has set forth several key objectives. These include identifying and nurturing future leaders in the field and advancing the industrialization of AI and robotics. Moreover, AIRS is committed to ensuring that these technologies are accessible to society, ultimately establishing a global hub for AI and robotics innovation.

The AIRS institution has made significant strides toward achieving its goal of becoming a globally recognized institute, attracting the best academicians and talents from around the world. Their research has gained recognition and acceptance at prestigious conferences such as the International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) and the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS).

During our visit, we had the privilege of exploring the Science & Art Joint Lab, a collaborative effort between AIRS and Shenzhen University Benyuan Design and Research Center, led by Director SHEN Shaomin and Dr. DING Ning, Executive Associate Director at AIRS and Director of the Center for Special Robots. The installations at the lab beautifully demonstrated the fusion of AI, robotics, philosophy, humanity, and the arts. It expanded our understanding of the fascinating intersection between technology and culture.

Paving the way for Future Cities...

On the last day of our study trip, we had the chance to visit the Shenzhen Smart City Group. The Smart City Group, a state-owned high-tech enterprise, was established in 2018 and is directly managed by the Shenzhen Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. By the following year, it was operational and en route to embodying its vision of a true smart city.

Now, you might wonder, "What exactly is a smart city?" If you cast your mind back to the geospatial lab visit in Hong Kong, you'll remember that a smart city's core objective is to provide its citizens with a high-quality living environment. That's precisely what the Smart City Group aims to do: enhance overall development, increase the people's livelihood, and potentially influence the urban blueprint of other cities.

The Smart City Group

• Employs about 4,000 professional and technical staff

• Has 12 fully-owned and holding companies, including 1 company, which is listed at the Shenzhen stock exchange.

• Has improved the travel of more than 600 million people through Smart Transportation

• Their platform has over 2 million registered users and 2.2 million registered commercial entities. They were able to authenticate more than 1,5 million real name members.

• Serves nearly 100 government and enterprise customers through their state-owned cloud and data centers.

Shenzhen Smart City Group focuses on building a foundational platform for smart city construction by merging various urban elements. They further offer digital government solutions by providing a system that promotes efficiency, collaboration, and modernized urban management via a cloud network base. During our visit, we also learned that they are responsible for the data as well as for setting new policies for the smart city. Further, they explained that they aim to create an overall solution by creating one system for everything. So far, they have been focusing on buildings and traffic.

For their digital twin, they develop high-resolution rendering software in-house. The use it to convert 2D models into 3D models of the city. Apparently, 80-90 % of the 3D models are being created through AI. They also set policies for the construction of new buildings. Even before the building is built, they already know where they want the relevant sensors placed (e.g., air conditioning and other energy usage).

They strongly collaborate with one of their twelve holding companies regarding traffic optimization. They closely monitor the traffic and make complementary use of AI to predict the traffic. During rush hour the AI model will calculate how many cars might drive over the crossing in the future. Depending on the amount, the traffic lights might turn on green for longer to enhance the traffic flow. Indeed, we had quite some experience driving across the city for our company visits. Despite rush hour and traffic, we never really felt that we were stuck in one place.

Interestingly, the next important policy is not for self-driving cars. Because the integration would require more detailed 3D modelling of the city. The next pressing topic is delivery drones. They’re examining the option to allow delivery drones to fly in the lower sky area which is 50m over the ground.

The Smart City Group also plans to offer its solution outside China and collaborate with the Middle East. As per the Group’s information, Shenzhen ranks in the top 30 of the World Smart City developments. Even though there are possibilities to focus on revenue and monetize the system, their current emphasis lies in the improvement of the livelihood of their citizens.

Another important topic is the data gathered through the smart city. For traffic regulation as an example, the company uses raw data gathered from cameras, satellites, and mobile phone activities. The content of the data material belongs to the government. The company is only allowed to use the generated data of the government dataset to train the algorithm to enhance traffic regulation. There are different data classifications with different regulations. Even though some of the data is open source, other data must be officially requested. For example, if a company wants to use data to train their models for new products.

In this context, a significant concern for us Europeans when collecting data is the regulation surrounding data privacy. In Europe, this is referred to as GDPR, a legal framework that, while ensuring privacy, can sometimes slow down rapid technological advancements. Meanwhile, China introduced its first thorough legislation on personal information and data privacy known as the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL). Although there are similarities between PIPL and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation, the former has certain ambiguities that remain open to interpretation, leading to potential regulatory uncertainties. On the other hand, it also allows faster development of new technologies – since datasets can be used to train different AI projects.

We further inquired with Mr. Xu Hao about their partnerships with other cities and their collaborative approaches to advance their projects, since we heard about similar projects in Hong Kong from Geospatial Lab. They were not sure if they specifically collaborate with their Pendant from Hong Kong. However, they closely cooperate with several Hong Kong universities to share experiences and cooperate on innovative technologies that enhance the city’s intelligence. There are some channels, where citizens can share experiences and possible improvements. Nonetheless, there is currently no further active involvement of the citizens in the decision-making process, the governmental departments are mainly in charge of deciding development-related questions.

In a world racing towards digitalization, it's reassuring to see, that it is possible to build cities that are not just smart, but also responsible and sustainable.