A fertile ground for academia

Hong Kong - a melting pot, backed by its array of top universities and job incentives - is going the extra mile to lure world-class academics and researchers to work in the city and make it their home. Zhang Tianyuan reports from Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's long-standing reputation as a cosmopolitan hot spot, where East and West cultures intersect and diverse communities congregate, is a cornerstone of the city's economic, educational and social success.

The SAR has been an ideal destination and a magnet for scholars and researchers worldwide, boasting clusters of top-notch institutions of higher learning, cutting-edge research centers, and a thriving academic coterie. Despite the years-long COVID-19 pandemic and high living costs, which have prodded some educators to leave the intellectually renowned city for new adventures and careers abroad, Hong Kong remains attractive to the global academia, with its favorable policies, high-paying jobs and a balanced lifestyle.

Getting talent back to Hong Kong was high on the agenda of Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu's maiden Policy Address in October, as well as the 2023-24 Budget delivered by Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po last month. A slew of initiatives aimed at enticing migrant professionals to come or return to the SAR was rolled out, including loosening visa requirements and offering them research funding.

The Top Talent Pass Scheme, which was launched late last year to attract top talent with sophisticated work experience or outstanding educational backgrounds, had drawn more than 14,000 applications by the end of February. Over half of the applicants are younger than 30 years old, according to Secretary for Labor and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han.

But creating and retaining a large, cosmopolitan talent pool takes far more than just offering jobs and handsome remuneration. Hong Kong's unique advantages under the "one country, two systems" principle have been instrumental in bridging the gap between the Chinese mainland and the world, luring academicians to the financial hub, with abundant career opportunities up for grabs in the SAR and on the mainland.