Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited and Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence Co-host the Inaugural AI Global Talents Connect (August 2025)
Highlights:
By bringing together the support of Patient Capital along with the technological foresight of AI research institutes, the inaugural AIC attracted over 350 leading international AI experts, scholars and industry participants, to explore and exchange ideas related to the development, innovative applications and investment of AI technology, accelerating the flywheel effect among “talent-technology-capital”.
With support from the HKIC and BAAI, the “Hong Kong QingYuan Club”, a top AI youth talent community, has officially been launched and is dedicated to establishing a Hong Kong-based, globally connected, cross-sector collaborative ecosystem for innovation and technology (“I&T”) talents, harnessing international Patient Capital and driving AI advancement worldwide.
The AIC invited over 150 students from universities and secondary schools in Hong Kong to participate, enlightening the younger generation about venture capital (“VC”) investment, entrepreneurship and technological research, nurturing their vision and interest in AI development, fueling innovation and the VC ecosystem in Hong Kong and establishing a full-chain development pathway for young AI talents.
(Hong Kong, 26th August) The Hong Kong Investment Corporation Limited (“HKIC”) and Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (“BAAI”), co-hosted the inaugural AI Global Talents Connect (“AIC”), which was held this morning at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The AIC brought together over 350 leading artificial intelligence (“AI”) experts and scholars from Hong Kong, Mainland China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Singapore and other regions, as well as representatives from AI startups and investment institutions across various industries. Participants exchanged insights on cutting-edge AI technology advancements, industry applications, investment and ecosystem development, and proactively discussed deepening efforts to attract and pool talents at the international level.
As Patient Capital, the HKIC, joining hands with BAAI, showcased at the AIC how its ecosystem develops Hong Kong into an international hub for AI talents by connecting technology, talents, industry and capital, and creating a platform that facilitates end-to-end development of AI venture capital (“VC”), innovation and entrepreneurship that drives the value chain from technology commercialisation, cross‑border talent mobility, to industrial application and international capital convergence. The AIC was supported by various ecosystem partners of the HKIC, including Lanchi Ventures, BioMap, Galbot and PPIO. From the perspectives of beneficiaries of Patient Capital and start-up companies, they offered insights on how AI can support technological breakthroughs and commercialisation, and showcased AI applications in biotechnology, embodied intelligence and cloud computing.
Officiating guests of the AIC included Mr Paul Chan, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, Ms Clara Chan, Chief Executive Officer of the HKIC, and Professor Tiejun Huang, Chairman of BAAI. The officiating guests and attendees jointly witnessed the official launch of the “Hong Kong QingYuan Club” (“HKQYC”), which signifies that this top-tier community of young AI scholars will utilise Hong Kong as a global base, connects global resources, supports the transition from research breakthroughs to practical applications and the investments of related fields, in accelerating the flywheel effect among “talent-technology-capital”. In the afternoon following the AIC, the HKQYC hosted its inaugural international exchange event in Hong Kong.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said in his speech, “Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping industries, economies, societies and ultimately, the global economy’s competitive landscape. AI is advancing at a breathtaking pace, and its rapid progress has transformative promise across every sector. For Hong Kong, building an open, collaborative and inclusive AI community is essential to attracting and retaining global talent, which is the driving force behind innovation in the space. I am delighted to see that the AI Global Talents Connect comes to life today as a joint initiative of the Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) and the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI). This partnership, including the establishment of the Hong Kong Qingyuan Club, embraces openness and interdisciplinary co-operation. By bringing together international capital, young AI talent and cutting-edge technologies, it marks another important step in Hong Kong’s journey to become a leading global hub for AI.”
Ms Clara Chan, Chief Executive Officer of the HKIC, remarked, “As Patient Capital, the HKIC is rooted in Hong Kong with the strong support of our country and a global vision. With this positioning, the HKIC must devise forthcoming investment strategies such that Hong Kong can seize the first-mover advantage. AI is a key focus area in our investment strategy. Our goal is to bring together international talents, cultivate enterprises and technologies, and channel international capital to invest in these enterprises and technologies, leveraging Hong Kong’s strengths as a “super connector” and “super value-adder” as well as its capital market advantages, to bring benefits to all parties involved. Our partnership with BAAI on the AIC showcases Hong Kong’s appeal for attracting and pooling talents and marks a significant milestone in the HKIC’s long-term and strategic investment focus on AI.”
Professor Tiejun Huang, Chairman of the BAAI, pointed out, “The key to the success of the ‘BAAI Model’ lies in prioritizing cutting-edge research directions, which led to the early prediction that large AI models would become a new kind of infrastructure underpinning the coming Age of Intelligence. Empowering young talent to shoulder major responsibilities is why BAAI is recognized as a key training ground for promising AI talent. Fostering an open-source ecosystem with global impact reflects BAAI's firm belief that an open-source ecosystem for AI is the key to driving the development of the Age of Intelligence. BAAI’s collaboration with HKIC reaffirms the centrality of talents in driving BAAI’s innovation and will combine BAAI's core AI technologies with Hong Kong's status as an international hub to help establish the city as a global leader in the Age of Intelligence.
The QingYuan Club was founded by representative young scholars in the field of AI, and has continually grown with the long-term support of BAAI. Its success vividly embodies the “BAAI Model”—where cutting-edge innovation leads, young talents taking on key roles and open-source collaborations connect the global ecosystem. After five years of development, the QingYuan Club has gathered 260 official members and over 2,000 preparatory members, making it one of the most influential youth talent communities in China’s AI sector. Many members have become core technical experts and entrepreneurial pioneers in the field of large models. Looking ahead, the HKQYC will leverage Hong Kong’s strengths with a focus on the application and transformation of research outcomes. By connecting global young AI talents and gathering AI young scholars in Hong Kong, the HKQYC will offer them comprehensive support throughout their AI development cycle, from research innovation to practical application.
The AIC featured keynote speakers composed of world-renowned scholars from Hong Kong, Mainland China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Singapore, and other parts of the world. Notable speakers included Professor David Srolovitz, Fellow of the US National Academy of Engineering; Professor Sethu Vijayakumar, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK); Professor Toby Walsh, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science; Professor David Zhang, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada; Professor Wei-Ying Ma, Director of the Hong Kong Institute of AI for Science at City University of Hong Kong; Dr Wang Zhongyuan, President of BAAI, and among others, delivering a cross-regional and cross-generational dialogue. The involvement of these distinguished scholars conferred academic prestige and mentorship to the AIC, showcased Hong Kong’s appeal for attracting and pooling talents, accelerating the flywheel effect among “talent-technology-capital”, enabling the youth to learn about the global AI trends while providing them with inspiration regarding the future applications of AI.
The AIC invited over 150 local university and secondary school students to participate in sessions on cutting-edge technologies and theoretical concepts, as well as entrepreneurial and relevant investment stories. These sharing sessions enlightened the younger generation about VC investment, entrepreneurship and technology research, nurturing their vision and interest in AI development, fueling innovation and the VC ecosystem in Hong Kong, and establishing a full-chain development pathway for young AI talents.
Photo 1: Mr Paul Chan, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, emphasised during his speech at the Inaugural AI Global Talents Connect that for Hong Kong, building an open, collaborative and inclusive AI community is essential to attracting and retaining global talent. The HKIC builds a platform as a patient capital, while BAAI embraces an open-source collaboration philosophy to attract talent, jointly promoting Hong Kong as an international I&T centre and an AI innovation hub.
Photo 2: Ms Clara Chan, Chief Executive Officer of the HKIC, pointed out that the HKIC, as a patient capital, promotes the development of the I&T and VC ecosystem. By collaborating with BAAI, with AI research as a fulcrum, the HKIC is developing a magnetic effect to pool talents. By joining hands with partners such as Lanchi Ventures, the HKIC is supporting the scientific research findings to take root in Hong Kong in areas such as biotechnology and embodied AI.
Photo 3: Professor Tiejun Huang, Chairman of BAAI, noted that the establishment of the Hong Kong QingYuan Club is a key milestone in the development of artificial intelligence. The institute aims to lead cutting-edge breakthroughs through top talent, leveraging Hong Kong’s international advantages to tackle fundamental challenges, cultivate interdisciplinary talent, and promote the harmonious coexistence of intelligence and humanity in society.
Photo 4: The HKIC and BAAI jointly held the inaugural “AI Global Talents Connect” this morning at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wanchai. Mr Paul Chan, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government (center), Ms Clara Chan, Chief Executive Officer of the HKIC (left) and Professor Tiejun Huang, Chairman of BAAI (right) officiated at the summit.
Photo 5: With the support of the HKIC and BAAI, the “Hong Kong QingYuan Club” has been established. Mr Paul Chan, the Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government (center), attended the launch ceremony with Ms Clara Chan, Chief Executive Officer of the HKIC (5th left), Professor Tiejun Huang, Chairman of BAAI (5th right), and Dr Wang Zhongyuan (4th left), President of BAAI.
Photo 6: The summit brought together over 350 leading international AI experts, scholars, and industry participants, to explore and exchange ideas related to the development, innovative applications and investment of AI technology, accelerating the flywheel effect among “talent-technology-capital”.
Photo 7: The AIC invited over 100 university and secondary school students in Hong Kong to participate, enlightening the younger generation about VC investment, entrepreneurship and technology research, nurturing their vision and interest in AI development, fueling innovation and the VC ecosystem in Hong Kong and establishing a full-chain development pathway for young AI talents.
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About HKIC
The HKIC was established and is wholly owned by the HKSAR Government. As Patient Capital representing the HKSAR Government, it carries a dual mandate - seeking reasonable financial return in the medium to long term through optimising the use of fiscal reserves, and leveraging its ability to guide and channel capital to build a more vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem and industry chain.
The HKIC currently manages HK$62 billion, covering the “Hong Kong Growth Portfolio”, “Greater Bay Area Investment Fund”, “Strategic Tech Fund”, and “Co-Investment Fund”. At this stage, it is focusing on three key sectors, namely Hard and Core Technology, Biotech, and New Energy and Green Technology. As of today, the HKIC has invested in over 120 projects.
About BAAI
The Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence (BAAI) is a non-profit AI research institute. Established in November 2018, BAAI is dedicated to AI science and technology innovation, enhances collaboration among academia and industry, and promotes sustainable development of humanity, the environment, and intelligence.