The research innovation power of Hong Kong fashion products has been recognized as one of the best in the world. According to the published statistics from Web of Science Core Collection1, USA, China, England, Germany and Japan listed the top five in the field of textile and fashion in the recent 20 years. In terms of scientific publications, Hong Kong contributes around 10 per cent to the total number of that of China, publishing 2,023 papers from 1999 to 2018 with a relatively stable increasing trend after a decline in 2009. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University published the most, three times the number of the second-placed Chinese University of Hong Kong.
The research areas of the publications in Hong Kong included engineering, materials science, computer science, chemistry and physics.
In terms of patent application in textile and clothing, China, South Korea, USA, Japan and Germany are the top five countries from 1999 to 2018, with Hong Kong sharing around 3% in that of the application number of Mainland China. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel are the major contributors to the patent applications.
