PolyU debuts at VivaTech 2026, championing global collaboration and Hong Kong’s role as a “super-connector”

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) made its debut at Paris-based Viva Technology 2026 (VivaTech), Europe’s leading startup and tech event held from 17 to 20 June. The PolyU delegation was led by Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation), and Prof. Zijian ZHENG, PolyU Vice President (Knowledge Transfer), with an exhibition booth in the Hong Kong Pavilion under the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). The University also hosted two inspiring panel discussions, marking a major milestone in expanding its global footprint and strengthening ties between Hong Kong and European markets.

At the exhibition, the University showcased five outstanding PolyU startups and their innovations across high-growth tech domains, including artificial intelligence (AI), optoelectronic tech, health tech, sustainability and smart manufacturing. These promising ventures leveraged the pivotal platform of VivaTech to connect with global industry players, investors and corporate innovators, exploring opportunities for expanding overseas business collaboration and knowledge exchange. Among the featured PolyU startups, Bacbudy Limited and LeafIoT Technology Limited were named in the organiser’s top 400 participating startups using sustainable innovation to tackle climate, healthcare, digital inclusion and education challenges.

PolyU also hosted an exclusive thematic session on-site and engaged in high-level industry dialogue to deepen collaboration between Europe and Hong Kong. At session titled “Breaking Barriers with Autonomous Systems: Transforming Industries with AI Innovation”, Prof. Christopher Chao stated in his opening remarks, “Bringing Hong Kong and France together at VivaTech underscores the importance of cross-continental collaboration in shaping the future of technology. At PolyU, we embrace this global outlook and actively foster technology-driven partnerships worldwide.” He also commended the showcased startups for their demonstration of resilience and creativity, as well as their commitment to improving lives with technology and innovation.  “By leading startups to international platforms such as VivaTech, we empower them to expand overseas, explore new markets and broaden their networks, thereby contributing to the global development of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology industries,” said Prof. Chao.

Through his keynote address, Prof. Zheng Zijian shared his insights on how Hong Kong is scaling innovation as a leading AI hub and urged the global audience to seize new opportunities in Chinese Mainland. He remarked, “In Chinese Mainland, PolyU has over 1,000 partner universities and research institutes, over 50,000 alumni and 14 alumni networks. Backed by our robust network of 12 PolyU Mainland Translational Research Institutes, thousands of collaborative projects have been or are being undertaken. With such advantages, we are poised to fully integrate cutting-edge PolyU research with the industrial strengths and vast market scale of Chinese Mainland to create tangible societal benefits.” At the fireside chat of the networking reception titled “Hong Kong Tech Night: Where Innovation Meets Opportunity”, Prof. Zheng shared PolyU’s knowledge transfer strategies and explored the potential of Hong Kong-France collaboration.

During the Hong Kong Seminar-cum-Networking Reception hosted by HKTDC, Prof. Christopher Chao engaged in an insightful executive dialogue with other leaders at the forefront of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem. At this high-level seminar with the theme “Talent and Infrastructure Powering the Hong Kong Tech Leadership and Global Collaboration”, Prof. Chao discussed how academia-industry collaboration could help translate cutting-edge research into commercially viable solutions as well as attract and nurture talents, thereby strengthening Kong Kong’s position as a world-class innovation hub. More importantly, he explored how academic-driven initiatives, benefitting from Hong Kong’s unique role as a “Super Connector”, can further drive Hong Kong-Europe synergy in advancing global innovation and technology development.

VivaTech is one of Europe’s biggest startup and tech events and is held annually in Paris, France. The event connects startups, tech leaders, major companies and investors, bringing together world-premiere demos, launches and conferences in a collaborative ecosystem. For full details of PolyU’s participation at VivaTech 2026, please visit this webpage.

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