Financial Secretary Paul Chan today witnessed the plaque unveiling ceremony at the Central Government Offices for UK biopharmaceutical enterprise AstraZeneca's research and development centre and Hong Kong iCampus.

The AstraZeneca R&D Centre in Hong Kong will focus on research and development of medicines in such key areas as cell therapy and gene therapy.

The Hong Kong iCampus is an incubation platform which assists in the business expansion of startups in related areas and engages in collaboration with Hong Kong universities, scientific research institutions as well as innovation and technology (I&T) parks.

Delivering his speech at the ceremony, Mr Chan said the establishment of the AstraZeneca R&D Centre in Hong Kong can reinforce the frontier research of distinguished medical research institutions, experts and scholars of Hong Kong and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to create new momentum for pharmaceutical research and development in the region.

Meanwhile, the establishment of the iCampus will bring together relevant startups to build a more vibrant medical innovation ecosystem.

The finance chief noted that Hong Kong is developing into an international I&T centre with the country's staunch support, while the city enjoys various advantages in developing the life and health technology industry.

Mr Chan highlighted that Hong Kong is fully capable of becoming a world-class life and health technology cluster, and pharmaceutical enterprises around the globe are welcome to leverage Hong Kong's advantages to expand their businesses.

AstraZeneca also organised a group of about 80 Mainland pharmaceutical and biotechnology enterprises to come and visit Hong Kong, comprising large-scale listed enterprises and startups engaging in pioneering pharmaceutical technologies.

AstraZeneca is a strategic enterprise partner of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES).

Since its establishment last December, OASES has met representatives from nearly 300 enterprises. Among them, about 30 strategic enterprise partners will set up businesses or increase their business scale in Hong Kong.