Manufacturing+ — Production Line Upgrade Pilot
Formally the Pilot Manufacturing and Production Line Upgrade Support Scheme, launched in November 2025 under the New Industrialisation Support Scheme (NISS). It does not fund a brand-new line — it funds upgrading the manufacturing operation or line you **already** run: the government matches at 1:2, up to HK$250,000 per enterprise or one-third of total approved project cost, whichever is lower, covering consultancy, equipment purchase and installation, and training, with projects generally completed within 12 months. Applications are accepted year-round, but each applicant may have only one project approved. Overseen by ITC with HKPC as secretariat.
You have run a manufacturing operation in Hong Kong for at least a year, or already operate at least one production line, and want to bring in advanced technology to upgrade it — but your budget is in the hundreds of thousands, not the millions. This is the lowest-threshold tier in the new-industrialisation family.
You want to build a **brand-new** smart production line in Hong Kong — that's NIFS (up to HK$15M per project); heavy-asset projects with ≥HK$100M of your own investment go to NIAS. If you have no manufacturing operation or line in Hong Kong at all (pure software / trading / services), you are not eligible.
- Deadline / window
- Applications accepted year-round with no fixed deadline; each applicant may have only one project approved
- Duration
- Projects generally to be completed within 12 months
- Company age
- Must have been engaged in manufacturing or operating one or more production lines in Hong Kong for at least 1 year, related to the project applied for
- For whom
- Registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310) or incorporated under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622); must not be a Hong Kong listed company, nor a government-subvented body or its subsidiary
- Application form, upgrade project proposal (smart-production strategy + the advanced technology to be introduced), expenditure budget
- Business registration certificate / certificate of incorporation, plus proof of at least one year of manufacturing or line operation in Hong Kong
Where it sits among the three new-industrialisation schemes
ITC's New Industrialisation Support Scheme (NISS) is an umbrella covering three sub-schemes whose scales differ by three orders of magnitude — confuse them and you knock on the wrong door. Manufacturing+ is the smallest and most reachable tier, and the key difference is that it funds *upgrading an existing line*, while the other two fund *building a new one*.
The three things the money can buy
The official list of fundable expenditure has three categories: consultancy service fees (hiring someone to diagnose where you are and formulate a smart-production strategy); equipment purchase and installation; and training services. Note the 1:2 matching — the government's share reaches at most one-third of your total project cost, so the HK$250K ceiling corresponds to a project of roughly HK$750K.
- 1
Self-check the two hard thresholds
First, at least one year of manufacturing or line operation in Hong Kong, related to the project applied for; second, you must not be a Hong Kong listed company, a government-subvented body or its subsidiary.
Pitfall: Counting years at a mainland plant as 'manufacturing in Hong Kong' — the threshold is about a local Hong Kong operation or line.
- 2
Set the strategy, size the total
Work out what advanced technology you're bringing in and how far you're upgrading, then back out the total project cost — the government's share is capped at one-third and at HK$250,000.
Pitfall: Fixating on the HK$250K and forgetting the one-third cap — if the total project cost is under HK$750K, you cannot draw the full amount.
- 3
Submit through the scheme's own channel
Accepted year-round with no fixed deadline; HKPC acts as secretariat, so you can ask them first whether your project fits.
Pitfall: Assuming it goes through the ITC Fund electronic system like NIFS / NIAS — this scheme has its own submission channel, so read the guide first.
- 4
Approved → finish within 12 months
Projects generally have to be completed within 12 months; each applicant may have only one project approved, so pick the line that most needs upgrading the first time.
Pitfall: Assuming you can run several projects at once as under NIFS — here only one per applicant is approved.
Where does assessment draw the line on 'introducing advanced technology' — does buying one machine count?· First-hand insight in the works
Pending a first-hand interview with an approved manufacturer.
As a newly launched pilot, what are the real assessment timelines and cash-fronting pressures?· First-hand insight in the works
Pending a first-hand interview.
- 01Manufacturing in Hong Kong for over a year and want a smart upgrade → read the official guide first, then ask the HKPC secretariat whether your project fits.
- 02Building a brand-new smart line → go to NIFS (HK$15M per project); investing ≥HK$100M of your own → NIAS.
- 03Training staff alongside the upgrade → its sibling NITTP covers high-end technology training (1:1, HK$250K per financial year).
The scheme was announced on 2025-11-18 and is the third sub-scheme under the New Industrialisation Support Scheme (NISS), alongside NIFS and NITTP. Figures follow ITC / ITF's official scheme page and the January 2026 edition of the application guide; a pilot's terms may be adjusted during the trial period, so check the latest official guide before applying.