• Hong Kong's largest government-funded R&D centre showcases 17 cutting-edge innovations aligned with the Middle East's aspirations for sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, and smart city.

HONG KONG, July 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is presenting a range of transformative technologies at the inaugural Leap East (8-10 July), underscoring Hong Kong's leadership in applied innovation and its growing role as a strategic bridge connecting Asia to the burgeoning technology landscape of the Middle East.

Hong Kong is seizing opportunities to align with the Middle East's visionary blueprints for economic diversification, which target key sectors such as innovation and technology (I&T), renewable energy, and smart city development. With its globally renowned financial services, vibrant I&T ecosystem, and position as a gateway to Chinese Mainland and Asia, Hong Kong offers complementary strengths that can support the Middle East's strategic goals while unlocking new growth avenues for its own economy.

Fostering Cross-Regional Innovation Partnerships

Since its establishment in 2000, ASTRI has been at the forefront of innovation, amassing over 1,500 patents and transferring more than 2,200 next-generation technologies to global industry partners. As Hong Kong's flagship government-funded R&D centre, ASTRI remains steadfast in its mission to drive Hong Kong's competitiveness through applied science and technologies.

"The emergence of cross-regional innovation hubs in Asia and the Middle East presents a transformative global opportunity," remarked Ir Dr Ted Suen, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI. "ASTRI's participation at Leap East exemplifies Hong Kong's pivotal role in building technological bonds with the Middle East, bringing practical, impact-driven innovations that drive sustainable growth and economic diversification."

"Our disruptive solutions showcase ASTRI's strengths in integrating AI, advanced materials, microelectronics, communications technologies, and IoT sensing to address the region's priorities in renewable energy, sustainable infrastructure, and smart city development. The Middle East offers vast potential for collaboration, and we enthusiastically invite partnerships, dialogues, and exchanges to maximise the mutual benefits our technologies can deliver," he added.

ASTRI is featuring a curated selection of advanced solutions at LEAP East, including:

• Renewable Energy: A groundbreaking photovoltaic-storage hybrid inverter designed to tackle challenges in solar energy storage and large-scale grid management.
• Intelligent Mobility: A cutting-edge low-altitude economic navigation and communication system, coupled with a V2X autonomous system and traffic management platform, addressing infrastructure gaps in urbanising regions.
• Sustainable Construction: Next-generation materials like lightweight concrete for modular integrated construction (MiC) and self-compacting backfill, advancing both efficiency and sustainability in large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Green solutions: Future-ready immersion coolant for high-performance computing, essential for expanding data centre infrastructure, and wireless smart water meters supporting resource management in challenging environmental conditions.

Award-winning innovation on display

Eight award-winning technologies are also featured at the Hong Kong Pavilion organised by the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau of the HKSAR Government, including recent recipients of the prestigious R&D 100 Awards and Edison Awards 2026, demonstrating Hong Kong's excellence in applied research and innovation.

Future of Physical AI

Ir Dr Ted Suen will speak on the panel "Autonomous Everything: The Dawn of Physical AI" on 10 July. The session will explore the real-world integration of physical AI, from robotaxis to autonomous urban systems, poised to redefine mobility and infrastructure on a global scale. Key discussions will include regulatory frameworks, public trust, safety standards, and strategies for commercial deployment.

LEAP EAST: https://leapeast.com/
ASTRI's technologies on display: https://bit.ly/4p0tRZp

About ASTRI

Founded in 2000 by the HKSAR Government, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is the city's largest government-funded R&D centre. Committed to transforming high-impact research into practical innovations, ASTRI drives market-driven, interdisciplinary advancements across sectors, including Smart City, FinTech, Digital Health and Life Sciences, New Industrialisation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) and Advanced Electronics, New Energy and Energy Storage, and Green and ESG Technologies. Following its merger with the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute, ASTRI has further strengthened its capabilities, with over 1,500 patents and 2,200 successful cases of technology transfer. Recognised with numerous international awards, ASTRI continues to nurture top I&T talent and foster collaborations among the I&T ecosystem, contributing to Hong Kong's high-value economic development. For more information, please visit: https://www.astri.org

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