NIAS — New Industry Acceleration Scheme
ITC's flagship funding for setting up and running production lines in Hong Kong: the government matches at 1:2 (government 1, company 2), with a cap of HK$200M per company, focused on life-and-health technology / AI and data science / advanced manufacturing and new energy. The bar is very high — the company must invest ≥HK$100M itself and total project cost must be ≥HK$150M. It is for heavy-asset projects that already have scale and want to build smart production facilities in Hong Kong; early, asset-light teams cannot use it. Rolling intake year-round, no deadline.
You already have company scale and are ready to invest ≥HK$100M in Hong Kong to build smart production facilities in life-and-health technology / AI and data science / advanced manufacturing and new energy. This is the highest-tier flagship support — the government matches at 1:2 up to HK$200M.
Early or asset-light teams (unable to put in ≥HK$100M of their own investment, with no physical production-line plan) cannot use this — look instead at ITC's ESS enterprise R&D and HKSTP / Cyberport seed and incubation.
- Deadline / window
- No deadline; applications accepted on a rolling basis year-round; project period generally within 36 months
- Duration
- Project period generally within 36 months
- For whom
- Companies registered in Hong Kong under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) that are not government-subvented bodies or their subsidiaries; must commit to invest ≥HK$100M to build smart production facilities, focused on the three domains of life-and-health technology / AI and data science / advanced manufacturing and new energy
- Application form, business and investment plan, smart-production-facility proposal and proof of financing, submitted via the ITC Fund electronic submission system
How big is the money
The government matches at 1:2 — for every HK$2 you invest, the government adds HK$1. Each project is funded up to the lower of one-third of total project cost or HK$200M, and cumulative funding per company is also capped at HK$200M. In other words, a project that fully exhausts the cap sits at around HK$600M in total cost.
Why the bar is so high
NIAS is a flagship tool for heavy-asset manufacturers with volume-production capability, not a start-up's first cheque. The company must itself put in ≥HK$100M, with total project cost ≥HK$150M, and be able to stand up a smart production line operating in Hong Kong. If you are still validating a product or your team is small, this tier is far beyond your current scale — start from seed / incubation and enterprise R&D matching instead.
- 1
Self-assess whether your scale qualifies
Confirm you can put in ≥HK$100M of your own investment, total project cost ≥HK$150M, and that you fall within the three focus domains.
Pitfall: Mistaking it for a 'large start-up subsidy' — if you miss the investment threshold the whole preparation is wasted.
- 2
Prepare the smart-line proposal and investment plan
Set out the Hong Kong smart-production-facility proposal, total-cost breakdown, sources of financing and a project timeline within 36 months.
Pitfall: Writing only about R&D or the product, without addressing the hard requirement of a 'Hong Kong volume-production facility'.
- 3
Submit via the ITC Fund electronic system
Rolling intake with no fixed deadline; submit the application and supporting documents at itcfas.itf.gov.hk.
Pitfall: Assuming 'no deadline' means no urgency — assessment and matching-fund verification take a long cycle; the later you start the longer it drags.
- 4
Assessment → build the line → milestone disbursement
Once approved, build the smart line per your investment commitment; the government matching funds arrive in tranches according to project progress.
Pitfall: Your 2-parts investment must land first and the matching funds follow progress — without cash-flow planning you can stall midway.
From submission to approval and then to matching funds arriving in tranches, how long does it actually take?· First-hand insight in the works
Pending a first-hand interview with an approved company.
With your 2-parts investment fronted first and matching funds following progress, how do smaller manufacturers actually manage the cash flow?· First-hand insight in the works
Pending a first-hand interview.
When building a smart line in Hong Kong, where are the real friction points in hiring, premises and equipment?· First-hand insight in the works
Pending a first-hand interview.
- 01Scale qualifies (own investment ≥HK$100M, total cost ≥HK$150M, in the three domains) → start with the guide and forms at itcfas.itf.gov.hk.
- 02You have a line but the amount is below NIAS scale → look at the New Industrialisation Funding Scheme (NIFS), capped at HK$15M per project.
- 03Still early / asset-light → look instead at ITC's ESS enterprise R&D and HKSTP / Cyberport.
Company age / turnover / employees are not scheme thresholds and are therefore not listed. Amounts, investment thresholds and focus domains follow ITC's latest official figures.