Verified programme notes
Current status, historical context and direct links to primary sources.
The old STEP page attracted some of this site’s strongest references. This guide explains the historical programme and points founders to the current HKSTP route.
Read the verified guide →Older programme names still appear in press coverage. The current route is HKSTP’s general Incubation Programme, with a separate Incu-Bio track.
Read the verified guide →TVP once supported technology adoption by local entities. It stopped accepting new applications after 31 December 2024.
Read the verified guide →BUD has evolved from separate Mainland and FTA labels into a broader market-development fund with several application routes.
Read the verified guide →A six-month early-stage programme for digital technology ideas and startups, with support tied to building and testing a prototype.
Read the verified guide →EMF is being consolidated into BUD. Only eligible promotion activities completed on or before 30 June 2026 can still be processed under its final timetable.
Read the verified guide →Cloud credits can extend a startup runway, but eligibility, credit value and expiry depend on the provider and programme tier.
Read the verified guide →ESS matches private investment in an approved in-house research and development project; it is not a general product-development or software-purchase subsidy.
Read the verified guide →NIFS supports a new smart production line in Hong Kong, with the company contributing twice the Government share.
Read the verified guide →NITTP shares the cost of advanced-technology training for eligible employees of local enterprises, under rules revised from August 2025.
Read the verified guide →Cyberport's 24-month incubation route is for a Hong Kong digital-tech company moving towards a market-ready product, not an idea looking for its first prototype.
Read the verified guide →Incu-Bio is a four-year route for biomedical technology companies that need laboratory, regulatory and commercialisation support.
Read the verified guide →The cash rebate applies to eligible enterprise expenditure on defined ITF or qualifying public-research partnership projects; it is not a rebate on any R&D-looking invoice.
Read the verified guide →The former Researcher Programme and Postdoctoral Hub now sit under the Research Talent Hub, with different routes for different applicant organisations.
Read the verified guide →CASP helps eligible Cyberport companies join endorsed accelerators, but the company must secure accelerator admission before applying for support.
Read the verified guide →MDSS subsidises eligible Cyberport companies developing Mainland and overseas markets, with updated rules effective from 12 December 2025.
Read the verified guide →The earlier DTSPP intake ended in May 2025. Government has announced an enhanced round targeted for the second half of 2026, but its final scope and opening date still require confirmation.
Read the verified guide →FILAS was launched in June 2026 to help third-party logistics companies adopt approved solutions connecting them to public logistics data platforms.
Read the verified guide →