Making headlines with science

He then invited Song, who's more experienced with the local 5G industry supply chain.

At Songshan Lake science town, Xbot Park has become a base for many professionals from Hong Kong. It was jointly set up in 2014 by Li Zexiang, a professor of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who is also known as the "godfather of drones" after having incubated drone-maker DJI.

The park has taken in many Hong Kong students and incubated more than 80 firms, some of which have climbed to the top of the industry.

Shi Jinbo followed Li to Dongguan and co-founded Quotient Kinematics Machine, an industrial robot producer.

Shi said the rich resources of manufacturing suppliers are among the area's major advantages. "For instance, one of our industrial robots needs about 800 components and all could be found in factories within a one-hour drive from the area."

But the difficulty lies in recruiting high-end technology professionals and retaining them, compared with companies in first-tier cities. "There's an aura of scientific and technological research forming around Songshan Lake," she said. "This will attract more talents who're willing to get involved in frontier technologies."

In addition, the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Cooperation Zone, wedged between the two cities and operated jointly by the two cities, is positioned to be a pilot zone for innovation and open for the Bay Area's comprehensive national science center.

Although the Hong Kong section is still under land rehabilitation, the Shenzhen part, a bonded zone in Futian district, has transformed its existing factories and warehouses into new-technology research spaces, incubating more than 130 projects from both sides.