MOU to foster greater IT and Biotechnology Cooperation

Hong Kong and Canada today (December 4) renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for cooperation in information and communications technology (ICT) and signed a new MOU on biotechnology cooperation.

The MOUs were signed by the Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology (Information Technology and Broadcasting), Mr Francis Ho, and Industry Canada's Assistant Deputy Minister for Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications, Dr Michael Binder, who led a Canadian delegation to visit Hong Kong and attend ITU Telecom Asia 2002.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Ho said that the two MOUs signified another major step forward for Hong Kong to collaborate with Canada for deriving mutual benefit in our development as a knowledge-based economy.

Canada and Hong Kong first signed the MOU on ICT in 1998. The MOU encouraged greater cooperation in areas of multimedia and software applications and products, electronic commerce infrastructure and policy, broadband networks and applications, and Internet applications, etc.

"Following the successful implementation of the ICT MOU signed in 1998, both sides stand ready to renew it so that we can continue to develop collaborations under a closed bilateral relationship to benefit the ICT industries of both Canada and Hong Kong," Mr Ho said.

The MOU on biotechnology will encourage biotechnology firms and researchers of the two areas to explore expanded research and development opportunities, cooperation in investment, commercial biotechnology ventures, and the expansion of domestic and international markets for products, services and technology developed in Hong Kong and Canada.

Noting that biotechnology would play an important role in Hong Kong, Mr Ho emphasised that the Government was fully committed to providing a favourable environment conducive to technology research, including biotechnology development.

"The signing of the new MOU on biotechnology co-operation will further drive and stimulate our alliance in the biotechnology front. I am confident that both the ICT and biotechnology industries as well as the academic and professional sectors in both Canada and Hong Kong will ride on these co-operative frameworks to further explore co-operation with each other," Mr Ho said.

Following the MOU signing ceremony, Mr Ho and Dr Binder visited the Canadian Pavilion at the ITU Telecom Asia 2002 and saw a live demonstration on virtual classroom, whereby a group of Hong Kong students shared their experiences in music learning, with playing of musical instrument, with two groups of Canadian students, one in Ottawa and one in Edmonton simultaneously, real time through the use of the next generation of Internet technology.

This was made possible by using advanced videoconferencing technology through the connection of high-speed broadband network using Internet2 technology, which supports reliable and high quality real time multi-parties interactive communication among different networks at different geographical locations which are vastly separated.

"These virtual classroom sessions show the power of broadband and next generation Internet technology, which brings students from around the world together in a unique way so that they can learn from each other interactively and in real time," said Mr Ho.

This virtual classroom initiative, comprising four days of live interactive sessions between Hong Kong and Canadian students starting from 2 December, was a collaboration activity under the ICT MOU signed between Canada and Hong Kong and made possible with the coordination of the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau and Communications Research Centre Canada, an agency of Industry Canada, and using the technology and networks provided by CANARIE Inc., network operator of Canada's optical research and innovation network, CA*net 4; satellite operator Telesat Canada; and the Joint Universities Computer Centre, a consortium of the government-funded tertiary institutions of Hong Kong.

Wednesday, December 4, 2002

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