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HKSTP Incubation Funding Under the Revamped Track: HK$840,000 Cash Over Three Years Plus HK$450,000 in Rent Support

Under the revamped track of the HKSTP Incubation Programme, cash support runs HK$140,000 in the first year, HK$420,000 in the second and HK$280,000 in the third — a three-year maximum of HK$840,000 — alongside a rental subsidy of HK$12,500 per month, stated as HK$150,000 a year and HK$450,000 across the full three years (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01). Which of the two tracks you fall on is decided by one date: when your second milestone assessment is due.

How much does the revamped track pay, year by year?

Support Revamped track Legacy track
Cash, year 1 HK$140,000 HK$280,000 a year
Cash, year 2 HK$420,000 HK$280,000 a year
Cash, year 3 HK$280,000 HK$280,000 a year
Cash, three-year maximum HK$840,000 Not given in the source reviewed
Rental subsidy HK$150,000 a year (HK$12,500 a month) Not given in the source reviewed
Rental subsidy, three years HK$450,000 Not given in the source reviewed
Overall programme cap HK$1,290,000 per incubatee over the three-year term HK$1,290,000 per incubatee over the three-year term

Source: Incubation Programme Guide Version 13 (26 March 2026), Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation; checked 2026-10-01. The three-year cap of HK$1,290,000 applies to the programme as a whole, and HKSTP may change the funding support from time to time at its sole discretion.

The shape is deliberate: the revamped track front-loads nothing and peaks in year 2, the year in which incubatees move into the second stage. The legacy track instead pays a flat HK$280,000 a year.

Which track am I on — legacy or revamped?

The split is set by the due date of your second milestone assessment (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01):

Nothing in the source reviewed lets an incubatee choose between the two; the date of the assessment does the sorting.

What happens between year 1 and year 2 on the revamped track?

The revamped track has two stages (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01):

  1. IncuHatch — the first year.
  2. IncuBoost — the second and third years, available to incubatees who pass the D-Day assessment in months 10 to 12 and agree to sign a Simple Agreement for Future Equity (SAFE) in favour of HKSTP or its designated subsidiary, giving it a future equity position.

Incubatees who do not pass the D-Day assessment, or who decline the SAFE, are treated as IncuHatch graduates and receive no further programme support. In money terms, the year 2 and year 3 cash figures only materialise for companies that clear both conditions.

How does the HK$12,500 monthly rental subsidy work?

The rental subsidy is HK$12,500 per month for the full three-year duration, with any unspent balance from the first and second programme years carried forward into the third year (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01). A company that spends less than the monthly amount early on therefore does not simply lose the difference — the balance follows it into year 3, up to the stated three-year figure of HK$450,000.

What else limits the money?

Two constraints matter as much as the headline figures:

Eligibility sits upstream of both. The programme runs for three years for early-stage technology startups and covers funding, R&D support, mentorship and investor matching (HKSTP Incubation Programme page; checked 2026-10-01). To qualify, the applicant must be a technology startup company limited by shares incorporated under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) and incorporated no more than five years before the submission date; its activities must relate to Electronics, Information & Communications Technology, Material and Precision Engineering or Green Technology; its founders must collectively and directly hold at least 51% of the issued shares; and it must employ at least two full-time staff at the time of application, all legally able to work in Hong Kong. The applicant must not currently be a participant in an incubation programme run by HKSTP, Cyberport Management Company Limited or Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park Limited (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01).

How does this compare with Incu-Bio and Cyberport's CIP?

HKSTP's Incu-Bio programme is a separate, larger pot: up to HK$6 million, made up of a HK$4 million financial subsidy and an upfront grant of HK$2 million to cover regulatory activities such as clinical trials, with applications requiring a four-year milestone plan (HKSTP Incu-Bio Programme page; checked 2026-10-01). The Incu-Bio programme term and detailed eligibility criteria were not available in the material reviewed.

Cyberport's Incubation Programme (CIP) runs for 24 months and offers up to HK$500,000 in financial assistance plus HK$200,000 as an on-site rental subsidy (Cyberport Incubation Programme page; checked 2026-10-01). The published funding breakdown is: HK$100,000 initial working capital on admission; up to HK$200,000 released on completion of the six-month progress reviews (HK$50,000 at month 6, HK$50,000 at month 12, HK$100,000 at month 24); and up to HK$200,000 through a performance-driven two-tiered assessment (Cyberport funding details; checked 2026-10-01). On graduation, incubatees must submit audited financial statements or an agreed-upon procedures report showing at least HK$400,000 of expenses on eligible items during the incubation period. On-site incubatees get rent-free working space at Cyberport.

One caveat before you plan around those figures: the Cyberport page carries a programme update notice saying CIP "will be undergoing enhancements" and that details of the updated programme will be announced soon (Cyberport Incubation Programme page; checked 2026-10-01). Whether the February 2027 intake keeps the current amounts and criteria is not stated. The listed application deadline for the February 2027 intake is 1 December 2026, with review in December 2026 to January 2027 and announcement in February 2027; the page also states that applications for the next intake will open soon.

FAQ

Am I on the revamped track or the legacy track?

It depends on your second milestone assessment date: due before 1 April 2026 puts you on the legacy track, due on or after 1 April 2026 puts you on the revamped track (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01).

How much is the HKSTP rental subsidy per month?

HK$12,500 per month for the full three-year programme term, equivalent to HK$150,000 a year and HK$450,000 over three years, with unspent balances from years 1 and 2 carried forward to year 3 (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01).

Is the HK$840,000 guaranteed?

It is a maximum, not an entitlement. The three-year cash maximum on the revamped track is HK$840,000, the programme-wide cap is HK$1,290,000, and HKSTP may change the funding support from time to time at its sole discretion. Year 2 and year 3 funding also depends on passing the D-Day assessment in months 10 to 12 and signing the SAFE (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01).

Does the revamped track require giving up equity?

Moving into the IncuBoost stage requires agreeing to a Simple Agreement for Future Equity in favour of HKSTP or its designated subsidiary, which gives it a future equity position. Declining it means graduating as an IncuHatch company with no further programme support (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01).

Can I combine HKSTP incubation funding with another Hong Kong Government grant?

Not for the same R&D project. Incubatees are prohibited from seeking funding from other Hong Kong Government funding programmes or grants for the same project, unless HKSTP approves it in writing (Incubation Programme Guide Version 13, 26 March 2026; checked 2026-10-01).

Sources