China details applied R&D projects

The governments of Hong Kong and neighboring Shenzhen, China, will jointly fund eight applied R&D projects.

The projects are funded under the Guangdong-Hong Kong Technology Cooperation Funding Scheme. The Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) of Hong Kong said Feb. 5 it will contribute about $4.7 million to the joint R&D effort.

R&D projects to be overseen by the Hong Kong government will focus on electric vehicles, battery technologies, RFID applications along with rapid bioassay, energy and green technologies.

ITF said it also plans to fund and oversee future R&D projects in areas such as:

? Nanotechnology focusing on energy savings, the environment, healthcare and electronics;
? Information security;
? Medical devices and biotechnology, and:
? Development of high-performance silicon driver intellectual properties for display panel (TFT-LCD and OLED) applications.

The Hong Kong fund said it is currently reviewing more than 50 applications for the expanded R&D project.

- George Leopold
EE Times