MTR Lab Company Limited ("MTR Lab") announces its partnership with TusStar, a tech incubator under TusHoldings and one of the largest and earliest national incubators in Mainland China with an extensive global network. This partnership will focus on innovation and technologies in smart city, smart mobility, and sustainability, through sharing resources, connecting strategic partners, and mutual referral of startups to fuel further growth of advanced tech companies internationally
Picture 1 and 2 : MTR Lab partners TusStar, the enterprise service platform of Tsinghua Science Park (pictured), to support innovation and technology advancement. | |||||
MTR Lab is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTR Corporation. As a strategic investor of innovation and technology, MTR Lab has been creating strategic value through investments and offering innovative solutions. It also provides a collaborative platform connecting like-minded partners to promote the development of innovation and technology and to co-create a smarter and greener future. The partnership with TusStar fosters exchange and integration of the innovation and technology ecosystems of both sides, with the aim of driving technological breakthroughs and supporting sustainable development. It also aligns with the national development strategy of “new quality productive forces” and nurturing specialised and sophisticated enterprises.
Currently, MTR Lab has invested in startups from Hong Kong, Mainland China and Europe, including Ampd Energy, isBIM, WeMaintain, as well as Ensonic, a cutting-edge acoustic AI solutions provider from the Mainland. TusStar also boasts an international network covering more than 90 cities and 19 hubs along the “Belt and Road”, supported by its collaboration with over 50 international top-tier companies. Together, the two parties will be able to empower the further international expansion of tech startups.
Building innovation ecosystems and scaling high-potential enterprises
MTR Lab and TusStar are joining hands to identify and support high-potential tech companies for collaboration and investment opportunities. Both parties will mutually recommend quality enterprises for potential investment or business cooperation, explore joint investment possibilities, and provide market expansion support to the recommended startups where appropriate. A joint working group has been established to mutually recommend at least 20 promising companies annually.
The first batch of companies recommended by TusStar to MTR Lab include those specialising in proprietary and highly sought-after technologies such as machine vision sensing, hydrogen fuel cells, and smart waste management platforms. These companies feature strong growth potential in areas like intelligent transportation, smart buildings, clean energy, and smart city management, demonstrating both robust technical capabilities and growth prospects. Among TusStar's incubated and invested companies are award-winning technology solution providers, with their technical strength being recognised.
Empowering Mainland China and Hong Kong Enterprises to Go Global
“As a global tech investor, MTR Lab is dedicated to powering smart city development and sustainability through innovation and serving as a collaborative platform.” said Mr Michael Chan, Managing Director of MTR Lab. “We are honoured to work with TusStar, an ecosystem partner with exceptional incubation capabilities. Our collaboration aligns with the national development direction of promoting 'new quality productivity forces' and the development of specialised and sophisticated enterprises. We look forward to leveraging our complementary resources with our partner to empower technology advancements in smart mobility and sustainability, supporting more startups from Mainland China and Hong Kong to achieve greater breakthroughs in the global market.”
“Partnering with MTR Lab allows us to combine our strengths and resources, strengthening our collaboration with Hong Kong’s innovation and technology ecosystem for mutual growth,” said Mrs Yuxia Gao, Vice General Manager of TusStar. “TusStar has been a key driver of collaboration and innovation between Mainland China and Hong Kong, laying a solid foundation for our partnership with MTR Lab. We have partnered with Hong Kong enterprises to co-develop high-standard office facilities in TusPark and provide international services for global and emerging tech companies. Additionally, initiatives such as the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporations’ Zhongguancun Liaison Office in TusPark and TusStar’s support for research enterprises in both Beijing and Hong Kong underscore our role as a bridge for technological and industrial exchange. We also collaborate with organisations like the HKU Institute for China Business and the Hong Kong Smart City Consortium to promote artificial intelligence, smart cities, clean energy, and regional innovation."
Through this partnership, TusStar and MTR Lab will strengthen the joint efforts of enterprises, universities, and research institutes to enhance commercialisation of innovative technologies, including working with experts to explore trends and promote the commercialisation of cutting-edge technologies, further enhancing innovation cooperation between Mainland China and Hong Kong and supporting Chinese tech enterprises to go global.
