Official facts
Amounts, durations and eligibility come from the cited primary source and carry a verification date. Intake status and terms can still change, so recheck the current guide before applying.
Government / ITF
Innovation and Technology Fund: finance a project, not a valuation
ITF instruments cover in-house R&D, talent, trials, rebates, patents and industrialisation. Each has its own scope, budget, reporting and audit trail.
50verified programmes
2026-08-25Last verified
Primary sourcesGovernment, official bodies, universities and programme sites
Editorial analysis
Suggested combinations are this site's analysis, not a government promise. Select by stage, cash flow, milestones and administrative cost.
R&D and validation
ESS funds in-house R&D, CRS rebates qualifying R&D contribution and PSTS funds public trials.
- ESS: up to HK$10m, 1:1 matching, generally 24 months.
- CRS: 40% rebate of eligible enterprise expenditure.
- PSTS-TC: up to HK$1m, generally 12 months.
- The patent grant addresses eligible first-patent costs only.
Talent and industrialisation
RTH, STEM, NIFS and NIAS operate at very different scales.
- RTH supports actual full-time R&D remuneration and excludes founders, shareholders and management as the subsidised talent.
- STEM Internship funds flow through universities, not as unrestricted startup cash.
- NIFS supports a Hong Kong smart production line at 1:2 government-company.
- NIAS requires at least HK$100m company investment and is not an ordinary startup grant.
Closed or restructured
Historic names should not appear as current application routes.
- TVP stopped accepting new applications on 1 January 2025.
- Partnership Research Programme moved into the current ITSP Collaborative structure.
- ITVF is transitioning to an enhanced fund-manager model, not direct grant applications.
Official facts
Programme matrix
Compare instrument, stage, published support, equity and matching. N/A means no universal rule was published, not that there is no restriction.
High-risk amount and eligibility fields retain their verified canonical English wording so translation does not alter the rule; names, summaries and fit guidance are localized.
| Programme | Type / Stage | Published support | Equity / Matching | Best for | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Tech FundEnvironment and Ecology Bureau Matching support for decarbonisation and environmental R&D, with company funding exhausted before the first government disbursement. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| GrantSeed / Early growthTemporarily paused | HK$2.5 million to HK$20 million for a company project | Equity: NoMatching: Company contributes at least one-third of total project cost | Green-tech projects with measurable environmental benefit, R&D, trials and commercial potential. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| HKSTP Incu-Bio ProgrammeHong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation A four-year incubation route for biotechnology ventures with longer R&D and commercialisation cycles. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| IncubatorMVP / Pre-seed / SeedActive | Up to HK$6 million | Equity: N/AMatching: N/A | Biotechnology, health technology and life-science startups. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| HSITP Incubation ProgrammeHong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park A three-stream programme launched in 2026 for life and health technology, AI and data science. No universal per-company amount is published in the launch material. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| IncubatorIdea / Pre-MVP / MVP / Pre-seed / Seed / Early growthActive | N/A | Equity: N/AMatching: N/A | Relevant technology startups planning R&D, validation and commercialisation in the Hetao Hong Kong Park. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| Enterprise Support Scheme (ESS)Innovation and Technology Commission Dollar-for-dollar support for in-house R&D by Hong Kong companies; it is not general operating capital. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| GrantSeed / Early growthActive | Up to HK$10 million per project | Equity: NoMatching: 1 government : 1 company | Companies with a defined technical risk, R&D work plan, budget and commercialisation path. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| Innovation and Technology Venture Fund (ITVF)Innovation and Technology Commission Government-backed co-investment through selected fund managers, not a grant that a startup applies for directly. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| InvestmentSeed / Early growth / Series ANeeds review | No fixed startup cheque published; the enhanced fund-manager model redeploys HK$1.5 billion | Equity: YesMatching: At fund level, HK$1 government for every HK$3 raised by selected fund managers | Hong Kong I&T companies raising institutional capital within participating fund mandates. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| New Industrialisation Acceleration Scheme (NIAS)Innovation and Technology Commission Large-scale matching support for smart production facilities in strategic industries, far beyond ordinary startup grant thresholds. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| Subsidy / rebateEarly growth / Series A / Scale-upActive | Up to HK$200 million total support across up to 2 projects; project-level terms apply | Equity: NoMatching: 1 government : 2 company | Industrial companies able to commit at least HK$100 million of eligible enterprise funding in Hong Kong. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| New Industrialisation Funding Scheme (NIFS)Innovation and Technology Commission Matching support for setting up a new smart production line in Hong Kong. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| Subsidy / rebateEarly growth / Series A / Scale-upActive | Up to one-third of approved project cost or HK$15 million per project, whichever is lower | Equity: NoMatching: 1 government : 2 company | Businesses with a manufacturing plan, capital budget and Hong Kong production site. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| Patent Application GrantInnovation and Technology Commission Support for eligible costs of an applicant's first patent application. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| GrantMVP / Pre-seed / SeedActive | Up to HK$250,000 per approved case for the first patent application | Equity: NoMatching: Grant covers up to 90% of eligible patent application costs, subject to the cap | Teams with a potentially patentable invention ready for a first filing. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| Pilot Innovation and Technology Accelerator Scheme (PITAS)Innovation and Technology Commission Funds experienced accelerator operators to establish Hong Kong bases. The 2026 call is closed, and ordinary startups are not the direct funding applicants. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| AcceleratorEarly growth / Series AClosed to new applications | Up to HK$30 million per selected accelerator operator | Equity: NoMatching: 1 Government : 2 applicant | Operators with at least five years of startup-support experience that will run a physical accelerator in Hong Kong. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| Public Sector Trial Scheme for Technology Companies (PSTS-TC)Innovation and Technology Commission Supports real-world public-sector trials of R&D outcomes primarily developed in Hong Kong. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| GrantMVP / Seed / Early growthActive | Up to HK$1 million per project | Equity: NoMatching: No | Technology companies with a deployable prototype and a credible public-sector trial setting. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| R&D Cash Rebate Scheme (CRS)Innovation and Technology Commission A 40% rebate on eligible enterprise expenditure in qualifying ITF or partnership R&D projects. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| Subsidy / rebateSeed / Early growth / Series AActive | 40% cash rebate of eligible enterprise expenditure | Equity: NoMatching: No | Hong Kong enterprises that have funded qualifying R&D and maintain complete evidence. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| Research Talent Hub for Technology Companies (RTH-TC)Innovation and Technology Commission Reimburses eligible full-time R&D talent remuneration. Founders, shareholders and management cannot be the subsidised talent. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| TalentMVP / Pre-seed / Seed / Early growthActive | Monthly salary allowance up to HK$20,000 (bachelor), HK$23,000 (master) or HK$35,000 (doctorate), plus up to HK$10,000 doctoral living allowance | Equity: NoMatching: No | Technology companies conducting substantive Hong Kong R&D and hiring STEM graduates. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU)Innovation and Technology Commission University-channelled funding for teams commercialising technology and R&D outcomes at six participating universities. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| GrantIdea / Pre-MVP / MVP / Pre-seed / SeedActive | Up to HK$1.5 million per startup per year for up to 3 years under TSSSU-O, followed by up to 3 further years under matching-fund TSSSU+ | Equity: NoMatching: TSSSU+ only: dollar-for-dollar against qualifying private investment | Technology startups with a qualifying university relationship, IP or research output. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
| Technology Voucher Programme (TVP — closed)Innovation and Technology Commission / Hong Kong Productivity Council Formerly subsidised technology services and solutions for Hong Kong entities; it stopped accepting new applications on 1 January 2025. Eligibility, payment and double-funding details
| Subsidy / rebateMVP / Seed / Early growth / Scale-upClosed to new applications | Up to HK$600,000 cumulative funding on a 3:1 government-to-applicant matching basis before closure | Equity: NoMatching: Government 3 : applicant 1 | Policy-history research and organisations administering an already approved TVP project. | Official sourceLast verified: 2026-08-25 |
Editorial analysis
Strategy combinations by company type
Solve the company's most real constraint first; the number of applications is not the goal.
AI / Software / SaaS
Validate demand cheaply and use cloud credits before choosing HKSTP, Cyberport or institutional capital.
- Illustrative route
- Founder capital → MVP plus cloud credits → one primary incubator → RTH or ESS after real R&D and hiring needs → equity after traction.
- Key caution
- Do not build a heavy team to chase subsidies; the same cloud bill, payroll or R&D cost cannot be claimed twice.
Deep tech / Hardware / Robotics
Separate university or laboratory R&D, prototyping, trials and production-line work into distinct funding stages.
- Illustrative route
- Technology and IP → university/TSSSU or HKSTP → prototype and patent → ESS/RTH → public trial → smart production line → specialist VC.
- Key caution
- R&D, trial and production-line awards have different scopes; budget for hardware cash flow and reimbursement timing.
Biotech / HealthTech
Build the stack around university IP, laboratory access, regulation and a long R&D cycle.
- Illustrative route
- University IP or licence → Incu-Bio or TSSSU → RTH/ESS → validation and trials → specialist biotech capital.
- Key caution
- Laboratory, clinical and regulatory costs are not automatically eligible; a headline incubator amount does not replace a detailed plan.
GreenTech / ClimateTech
Prove environmental impact and technical feasibility before choosing R&D, trial or production support.
- Illustrative route
- Environmental problem and metrics → HKSTP/prototype → ESS or Green Tech Fund → public trial → Hong Kong production → industrial capital.
- Key caution
- Ordinary ESG consulting or green marketing is not green-tech R&D; large funds require matching cash, milestones and audits.
Visa and long-term status planning
Entrepreneurship does not automatically create immigration status
Forming or operating a Hong Kong company does not automatically qualify anyone for a visa, extension or permanent residence. Entrepreneurship may form part of an individual case, but the Immigration Department decides on the actual facts.
Quality Migrant Admission SchemeAn admission route for highly skilled or talented applicants.Top Talent Pass SchemeA talent route for high-income applicants and eligible university graduates.Immigration Arrangements for Non-local GraduatesA work and stay route for non-local graduates of Hong Kong institutions.General Employment PolicyAn employment route generally based on a genuine professional role with a Hong Kong employer.Admission Scheme for Mainland Talents and ProfessionalsAn employment route for Mainland residents with skills or experience needed in Hong Kong.Hong Kong permanent residence and right of abodeUnderstand ordinary residence, the seven-year requirement and long-term status planning.