Software firm RSA Security has donated digital certificate and encryption software valued at HK$4.5 million to the computer science and business departments of City University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
Students and researchers would use the software to develop applications and in programs dedicated to the study of electronic commerce, university officials said.
Professor Derick Wood, acting head of the computer science department at HKUST, said it was imperative for Hong Kong to develop more expertise in this area because of its importance as an international financial centre.
'This alone suggests that cryptography and electronic security should be important to Hong Kong,' he said.
Hong Kong has encouraged the growth of electronic commerce through legislation, recognising the legality of digital certificates.
Richard Turner, RSA's Asia-Pacific vice-president, said Hong Kong was one of the region's fastest-growing markets for RSA, with banks among the biggest adopters of digital security products.
