The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) on Thursday signed in Hong Kong a three-year cooperative agreement with the National IC Design Industrial Base (Shenzhen) Institution.

The agreement marks a step toward closer collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in IC (integrated circuit) design in furtherance of the "7+1" program launched by the Ministry of Information Industry for development of IC design bases in Chinese mainland, according to Chief Executive Officer of the HKSTP C. D. Tam.

Under the agreement, the HKSTP will provide small batch and finished product testing services for the National IC Design Industrial Base (Shenzhen) Institution, while its IC Design/Development Support Center will offer materials analysis and IC fault analysis. For its part, Shenzhen will help the HKSTP promote its platform for test verification services.

The agreement is based on the memorandum of understanding concluded in December last year between the HKSTP and the High Technology Research and Development Center (Hi-tech R&D Center) under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Under the Memorandum, seven IC design bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Wuxi and Chengdu, will work under the leadership of the Hi-tech R&D Center with HKSTP's IC Design Center in all areas of IC design and development.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2004)