Why has the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) been able to nurture one tech unicorn after another, including DJI, Narwal Robotics, and ePropulsion? Zexiang Li, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), founder of XbotPark Robotics Incubator and dean of Shenzhen InnoX Academy, offers an answer through a simple analogy. He compares education to soil, talent to seeds, technology to fruit, and industry to a forest. The analogy not only sheds light on what has driven the success of these companies, but also maps out a clear and replicable model for innovation.

The Shenzhen–Hong Kong–Guangzhou Innovation Cluster now ranks first globally. Its rise has not been driven by breakthroughs from any single company or technology, but by an integrated industrial ecosystem built through coordinated development. This ecosystem has enabled emerging sectors such as the low-altitude economy and intelligent robotics to flourish. A steady stream of advances in science and technology has converged into a comprehensive industrial landscape, turning the region into a science and technology innovation hub that commands global attention.

From soil to seeds and from fruit to forest, Li's analogy depicts a complete innovation ecosystem. As a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation gathers momentum, those that take the lead in building an innovation ecosystem in which education, science and technology, and talent development work in close coordination will be better positioned to gain an edge in global technological competition. This is precisely what Guangdong is working to achieve: bringing its education system closer to the frontiers of science and technology, connecting talent development more closely with the innovation chain, and translating scientific and technological advances into real-world applications in response to industrial needs. In doing so, Guangdong is moving education, science and technology, and talent development away from working in separate silos and towards addressing the same challenge together. This is the underlying logic of innovation, and an essential path for the GBA as it evolves from a manufacturing hub into a science and technology innovation hub.

从土壤到森林，读懂粤港澳大湾区的创新逻辑

大疆创新、云鲸智能、逸动科技……粤港澳大湾区为何能接连孵化出一大批科技独角兽企业？香港科技大学教授、XbotPark机器人基地发起人、深圳科创学院院长李泽湘用这样一个比喻来回答：“教育是土壤，人才是种子，科技是成果，产业是森林。”这一比喻，不仅揭示了几家企业的成功密码，更勾勒出一套清晰可复制的创新逻辑。

“深圳—香港—广州”创新集群已跃居全球第一，靠的不是单一企业、单项技术的突围，而是依托一体化发展的产业生态。低空经济、智能机器人等新兴赛道由此蓬勃发展，涓滴科创成果汇聚成完整产业矩阵，构筑起令世界瞩目的科创高地。

从土壤到种子，从成果到森林，李泽湘教授描绘的是一幅完整的创新生态图景。当前，新一轮科技革命和产业变革深入推进，谁能率先构建起教育、科技、人才全方位协同发展的创新生态，谁就能在全球科技竞争中占据主动。广东正在做的，就是紧密对接教育体系与科技前沿、贯通人才培养与创新链条、紧扣产业需求转化科技成果，推动教育、科技、人才从“各管一段”走向“共答一题”。这是创新的底层逻辑，也是粤港澳大湾区从“制造高地”迈向“科创高地”的必经之路。

文｜李妹妍
译｜郑奕玲
审｜曾敏