What the HK$1 billion AI Research and Development Institute set aside in the 2025-26 Budget is — an R&D body, not an SME grant scheme.
dgm is an independent osFoundry integration partner — not affiliated with osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC), and dgm has no completed client integrations yet.
Hong Kong’s 2025-26 Budget set aside HK$1 billion to establish an AI Research and Development Institute. It is an R&D body, not an SME grant scheme — a distinction worth understanding.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it is | HK$1 billion AI R&D Institute set aside in the 2025-26 Budget |
| Purpose | Upstream R&D and downstream transformation of AI |
| Formulated by | The Digital Policy Office |
| What it is not | An SME grant scheme — it does not hand SMEs money |
What the AIRDI is
The 2025-26 Budget (26 February 2025) set aside HK$1 billion to establish an AI Research and Development Institute (AIRDI) to drive upstream AI R&D and midstream/downstream transformation and expand application scenarios. The Digital Policy Office is formulating it, with operation expected around 2026 subject to funding approval.
What it is not
The AIRDI is an R&D institute, not an SME grant scheme — it does not hand individual businesses money to adopt AI. It is distinct from HKGAI (the research-led generative-AI R&D centre established in 2023). For SME AI adoption, the relevant routes remain Cyberport, HKSTP, the BUD Fund and NIFS. Important: these are programmes a business applies for directly with the relevant Hong Kong authority. dgm is an independent AI-integration agency — it is not a registered or approved vendor of any of these schemes (none of them operates a vendor registry), so nothing here implies dgm can secure or deliver a grant-funded engagement. dgm can help scope and build the AI project; eligibility, approval and any claim rest with you and the agency.
How to think about it
Treat the AIRDI as context on Hong Kong’s AI ambition rather than a funding route for your project. Support levels, caps, eligibility and round status change — confirm the current details on the official programme page before relying on them.
Where dgm fits
dgm is an independent integration partner that helps Hong Kong businesses adopt osFoundry — scoping a first use case, handling the build, and connecting AI to the systems you already run. dgm is independent of osFoundry’s maker (OS LLC) and has no completed client integrations yet, so everything described here is a service offered, not a past result. If you want to scope a practical first project, dgm can help you map it out.