Hong Kong publishes more medical research than its regional neighbours, evidence that it is poised to become Asia's new centre for biotechnology development, according to a University of Hong Kong study.
The amount of published research by Hong Kong doctors and medical scientists in international journals from 1990 to 2001 was 28 per cent more than Singapore and 48 per cent more than Taiwan relative to the size of its population, according to the study.
Professor John Kalberg, director of the Clinical Trials Centre of the university's faculty of medicine, analysed all publications in the Medline database of medical research papers over the 12-year period from Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and the mainland, which had the lowest output.
'Hong Kong is the leader of the four when output is adjusted for the size of the populations, both for clinical and basic [medical] science,' he said.
Professor Kalberg presented the data ahead of the Biotechnology Forum to be held on Sunday at the University of Hong Kong. Academics from Karolinska Institute, which handles the awarding of the Nobel Prize, will speak at the event.
Professor Kalberg said that when the two rival cities of Hong Kong and Singapore are compared in terms of research output, 'it is clear that Singapore falls short of Hong Kong'.
