Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) concluded its delegation to Viva Technology (VivaTech) 2026 in Paris, marking a significant step in bridging Asia and Europe's innovation ecosystems. The event, held June 17-20, celebrated its 10th anniversary and saw HKSTP confirm multiple memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between its park companies and European partners, generating over 200 potential business leads worth HK$70 million—a 50% increase from 2025.
Among the key MOUs, microalgae expert Algreen partnered with South Korean climate tech firm ForNatures to enhance ESG-focused R&D capabilities. Robotics solutions provider Robocore signed with Slovenian cognitive software startup ARCHTYP to display a differentiating layer on a proven platform, and also closed a deal with French advertising giant JCDecaux to supply a thousand robots, extending its European market reach. LeafIoT's green asset management solution attracted interest from European preservation professionals, including the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), the Catalonian landscaping company Gremi de Jardineria de Catalunya, and Professor Andrea Galli from the Laboratory of Geotechnical Analysis and Modelling (GeoT-LAM) at Politecnico di Milano.
HKSTP's presence at VivaTech reflects its mission to open doors for Hong Kong startups into European markets and create reciprocal opportunities for European innovators to enter Asia via Hong Kong's strategic location in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, ranked as the world's No.1 innovation cluster by the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
Terry Wong, CEO of HKSTP, emphasized the importance of France and the EU for global scaling: "France and the EU represent critical opportunities for Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland I&T ventures to scale globally. VivaTech provides a world-class platform for collaboration, co-creation, and knowledge exchange. Our strong ties with French partners underline the importance of Hong Kong as a global launchpad for innovation."
A highlight of this year's delegation was the expansion of HKSTP's partnership with Bouygues Construction, a global leader in sustainable construction headquartered in France. Through its Hong Kong arm, Dragages Hong Kong, Bouygues has a 70-year legacy in Hong Kong, contributing to iconic infrastructure projects and championing innovation in construction safety, modular design, green materials, and site automation. HKSTP is the first and only institution in Hong Kong to bridge tech ventures directly into Bouygues Construction's "Scale One" programme, providing a fast track to prototyping and commercialisation. This partnership now offers selected Hong Kong startups the chance to showcase solutions at Bouygues' headquarters in France, with opportunities for solution validation and pilot trials across European operations.
The Hong Kong Tech Pavilion, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and supported by HKSTP, showcased 24 market-ready solutions spanning AI, green tech, and health tech, marking a major milestone in creating a direct bridge between Hong Kong and Europe's innovation heart. More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org.
