Green Tech Fund — Hong Kong
Grants for Hong Kong companies and designated research bodies to develop and test decarbonisation and environmental technologies.
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Research, develop and test technologies that help Hong Kong cut emissions and protect the environment. Priority areas include net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport and waste reduction. Projects outside the priority themes may also be considered.
Local companies can receive HK$2.5 million–HK$20 million per project and must contribute at least one-third of the total project cost. Their projects can last up to three years. Designated public research institutes and R&D centres can receive HK$2.5 million–HK$30 million for projects lasting up to five years.
Funding can cover project staff in Hong Kong, equipment and direct research costs such as external consultancy, technology licences, prototypes and functional testing. It generally does not support mass production. Costs must be specifically for the project and incurred within its approved period unless the Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment) approves otherwise; the same part of an expense cannot also be funded by government, a government-subvented institution, a university or another concurrent GTF project.
Non-company applicants may include administrative overheads up to 15% of the requested grant excluding overheads. Companies established within two years before the round deadline may include rental subsidy up to 15% of the requested grant. Other premises costs, utilities, general office and administrative expenses, staff training and capital financing costs are excluded. Equipment already owned by the recipient or a company in the same group cannot be charged as a purchase. Charges for using that equipment and depreciation are excluded, with an exception for approved at-cost research services that do not provide general administrative support. Maintenance of existing equipment can be charged in proportion to project use if usage records are kept. Hire-purchase, where you pay in instalments before owning the equipment, is generally not allowed. Equipment costs shared between projects must be allocated by recorded use.
People already paid by government, a government-subvented institution or another government-funded project cannot receive project pay. Company shareholders and directors generally cannot draw project salary; the Permanent Secretary for Environment and Ecology (Environment) may exceptionally permit nominal salary for those directly doing the research. Part-time project staff costs must reflect the time spent on the project.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be Hong Kong companies incorporated under the Companies Ordinance and registered under the Business Registration Ordinance, or one of the designated local research bodies. Company applicants must neither be government-subvented organisations nor their subsidiaries. This means organisations receiving recurrent government grants toward operating costs in exchange for public services, even where the grant is only a small contribution.
- Eligible research bodies are local universities, including University Grants Committee-funded institutions; self-financing degree-awarding institutions registered under the Post-Secondary Colleges Ordinance; the Hong Kong Productivity Council; the Vocational Training Council; the Clothing Industry Training Authority; and the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology. Eligible R&D centres are the Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Centre, Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, and Nano and Advanced Materials Institute.
- The offer supports local R&D for Hong Kong. Overseas research tasks require the Environment and Ecology Bureau’s (EEB) prior approval, must be outsourced and counted as other direct costs. Generally no more than 50% of the approved total project cost may be incurred outside Hong Kong. Recipients must comply with applicable overseas law and provide necessary insurance. Overseas installation of project-funded equipment also requires prior approval: equipment must be placed in a university or public research institute, remain recipient-owned for at least two additional years, and generally total less than 25% of the equipment budget.
- Explain the technology’s direct contribution to decarbonisation and environmental protection, how it improves on existing technologies, your team’s ability to deliver, the next development stage and commercialisation plan, and why each cost is necessary and reasonable.
- Submitting an application acknowledges and undertakes compliance with the national-security clauses. The government may disqualify applicants for activities likely to cause or constitute national-security offences, or where exclusion is necessary for national security, Hong Kong’s public interest, public morals, public order or public safety. It may immediately terminate an agreement on the national-security grounds in the guide.
How to apply
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- Conditions de cette période de candidature
- This application round has closed.
The published round closed on 13 February 2026. Check the Green Tech Fund website for a new invitation from the GTF Secretariat. Applications are submitted electronically through that website; university applications must go through their Research Offices. Read the Guide to Applicants and Notes for Auditors before applying.
Submit a complete application by the deadline. Unsolicited supplementary information submitted afterwards is not considered. If the Secretariat requests clarification, respond within two weeks or its specified deadline, whichever comes first, or the application is treated as withdrawn.
If approved, sign the government agreement before starting. Unless otherwise agreed, open the specified separate Hong Kong-dollar project savings account and keep all grant and matching funds there, with a separate account code for each project. Company grant payments begin after the matching funds for the first payment period are exhausted; subsequent payments are half-yearly against contribution evidence and satisfactory milestone progress. Research institutions receive the first payment on signing and later payments annually against satisfactory progress. For companies, at least 10% of the government contribution is normally retained until the final report and audited accounts are accepted.
Obtain EEB approval before changing the project or agreement. Research institutions need prior approval when cumulative changes in spending within any budget category exceed 50% of that category’s original approved budget. Companies need approval for any change in staff spending, and cumulative changes exceeding 50% of the original equipment or other-direct-cost budget. Report all spending changes and their reasons. Patent-registration budgets generally cannot be transferred to other costs. For the total value of each procurement, buying goods or services requires at least two written supplier quotes up to HK$50,000, at least five above HK$50,000 through HK$1.35 million, and an open tender above that; departing from this requires prior EEB approval. Staff recruitment must be open and competitive.
Submit half-yearly progress reports and a final report under the agreement’s reporting schedule, with final reporting within four months of scheduled completion or early termination unless EEB revises the schedule. Annual audited accounts ending 31 March are due by 30 June; the first may cover up to 18 months and the last may be waived if covering no more than 18 months. Final audited accounts are due within four months of scheduled completion or termination. Keep project books and records for at least seven years after completion or termination, whichever is later, unless government agrees otherwise.
Publish project-result slides within one month of scheduled completion, make technologies or intellectual property available in an open, transparent and non-exclusive manner, and complete evaluations one and three years after completion. Intellectual property generally belongs to the recipient. Post-completion benefit sharing with government is optional, but your proposal must state your intention and this is considered in assessment.
EEB can suspend or terminate support for missed milestones, late completion or reports, changed relevance or public-interest reasons. After completion or early termination, return residual project income, interest and other income required by the agreement within one month of written acceptance of the final report and audited accounts; companies return the government’s proportional share. Misspent and unspent funds can also be recovered.