About Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre

Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre

The Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, known by its acronym LSCM, is a Hong Kong applied research and development centre for logistics, supply chain, e-commerce and related technologies. It was founded in 2006 with funding from the Innovation and Technology Fund of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is co-hosted by three leading Hong Kong universities: the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Its mission, in its own wording, has been since its inception to foster the development of core competencies in logistics and supply chain related technologies in Hong Kong, and to facilitate the adoption of these technologies by industries in Hong Kong as well as mainland China.

LSCM was one of the five R&D centres established in April 2006 under the Innovation and Technology Fund to drive applied R&D and technology transfer in Hong Kong. That origin explains its operating model. It is not primarily a basic-science institute and it is not a logistics operator. It initiates and conducts research and development, funds and manages industry-oriented projects with businesses and universities, provides a one-stop resource for applied research and technology transfer, and seeks to commercialise results so that Hong Kong firms — and public bodies — can actually use them.

Founding, hosts and place in Hong Kong's R&D system

Hong Kong government and LSCM sources agree on the founding facts. LSCM was established in April 2006, funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission through the Innovation and Technology Fund. Early reporting on the centre described the Hong Kong Logistics and Supply Chain Management Research and Development Center, as it was then rendered in English, as established by the Hong Kong government in April 2006, run by the University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Its role at inception included conducting industry research, providing technology and market intelligence, offering a platform for the exchange of intellectual property and technology, promoting technology development, transfer and knowledge dissemination, and assisting in the commercialisation of technology.

The three-university hosting arrangement remains central to how LSCM describes itself today. Its standard institutional description, reproduced in partner announcements, states that it was founded in 2006 with Innovation and Technology Fund funding and is co-hosted by the three universities, that it aims to strengthen the local logistics sector and related industries by providing a one-stop resource for applied research and technology transfer, and that it aims to reinforce cooperation between industry and research institutes to bring about meaningful and significant impact on industry and the community. Its published address in summit materials is Level 11, Cyberport 2, 100 Cyberport Road, Hong Kong, and it has also presented its work extensively at Hong Kong Science Park, where its annual Logistics Summit is held.

Vision and mission

LSCM states two linked vision statements: to be a leading centre of excellence in logistics, supply chain management, e-commerce and related industrial research and development; and to be a centre of excellence to initiate and facilitate indigenous innovation and technology by local industries, and to collaborate with industries and communities to embrace innovation and technology.

Its mission follows from that vision. LSCM says it initiates and conducts R&D activities to develop core technological competencies in the logistics, supply chain, e-commerce and related industries, and to lead the industries in applied research and development work. It also facilitates indigenous technological research by industries, public and private, in Hong Kong and mainland China by providing expertise, knowledge and Innovation and Technology funding support. In practice, as its chief executive Simon Wong summarised the role, the centre was established by the HKSAR Government and charged with the mission to research and develop relevant technical solutions to serve the logistics, construction and e-commerce industries in Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region. Later summit materials broaden that service list to hospitals, elderly services and smart city development, reflecting how logistics technologies — tracking, robotics, sensing and data platforms — have been applied well beyond freight.

Six key R&D focus areas

LSCM's own Key R&D Focus page states that its technology roadmap is demand-driven, with an emphasis on enabling industries to innovate and move up the value chain, and that the roadmap focuses on six major areas. The first is Infrastructure Information Technology Systems, which includes the ITFS e-Lock System, the RFID Platform Interoperable Gateway, manufacturing shop-floor information systems, virtual and augmented reality, mobile mesh networks, product information kiosks, waterway logistics service platforms and building information modelling systems.

The second area is AIoT and Big Data Analytics Technology, covering work such as anomaly discovery through video-based inspection, traffic junction flow control, vision-based sports analysis, RFID reader and tag chip design, smart workplace automation, RFID and vision sensor integration in IoT technology, smart shelving, and energy-harvesting Bluetooth Low Energy and RFID sensor devices. The third is Smart Robotics and Automation, which includes automated guided vehicles, robot fleet management systems, follow-me robots, UWB positioning systems, automated concrete cube testing, smart mobile robot platforms, 5G remote control technology, robotic arms and hands, power-assisted technology, humanoid robots, large and vision language models and computer vision systems.

The fourth area is Logistics and Supply Chain Analytics and Applications, including supply chain visibility platforms, end-to-end supply chain fulfilment, big data analytics, container management systems, advance notice systems for logistics, smart container loading optimisation and video-based AI recognition and analytics. The fifth is Cybersecurity, framed as AI, IoT and Web3, including deepfake detection, AI-based intrusion detection, IoT and large language model vulnerability scanning, and blockchain-based credential verification platforms. The sixth is Financial Services and e-Commerce Technology, including privacy and security for electronic transactions, 24/7 parcel lockers for e-commerce, blockchain in logistics applications, RFID-enabled storage for e-commerce and easy-access storage for e-commerce.

RFID, e-Lock and the centre's early technology base

Radio-frequency identification, or RFID, was LSCM's founding technology strength. The centre says its funded projects range from the use of RFID in applications for manufacturing shop floors, retail and distribution, freight tracking and locating indoors and outdoors, and monitoring personnel in hospitals, to electronic lock technology to secure transshipment cargo containers. Early centre reporting noted financial support for approximately 30 RFID projects involving more than 100 businesses and local universities, and more than 600 industry and technology players from Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas joining as members.

Two early foundation projects illustrate the approach. The RFID Enablement Middleware for Enterprise Applications project, known as RAE, was one of six foundation R&D projects funded by the Innovation and Technology Commission and transferred to LSCM at its inception; it was granted HK$10.5 million and completed in December 2006. A second early line of work established an EPC network infrastructure to enable end-to-end supply chain visibility. The best-known application of this base is the e-Lock system developed for the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department to support the Intermodal Transshipment Facilitation Scheme, or ITFS. LSCM reported that it developed e-Lock based enabling technologies for Customs in 2010 to facilitate the movement of transshipment cargoes and enhance operational efficiency; cargoes equipped with an accredited e-Lock and GPS device and registered under ITFS could minimise the need for customs inspections when passing through entry and exit points. In September 2012 the scheme was expanded to cover sea-land transshipment through the installation of an additional 15 fixed RFID readers in Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi. A fixed RFID reader installed at a terminal transmits data and locks the e-Lock when cargo passes through.

Technology transfer, licensing and industry adoption

Transfer is not an afterthought for LSCM; it is written into its mandate. The centre states that it has developed a wide range of innovative technologies for different sectors, including logistics and supply chain, e-commerce and trade, smart city technology, gerontechnology and construction, and that its technologies are available for licensing. Its licensing catalogue organises offerings by technologies such as automated guided vehicle technology, BeiDou and GPS positioning, big data analytics, building information modelling and blockchain, and by applications including e-Lock technology, IoT and RFID systems, novel IoT and multi-modal analytic technologies for a smart city, smart baggage handling and retrieval, and indoor localisation, tracking and navigation.

Concrete adoptions show how that catalogue reaches use. LSCM's UHF RFID detachable tag and traffic antenna technologies were adopted in the Government's HKeToll system to facilitate free-flow tolling for smart traffic management, supporting the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong under its Smart Mobility approach; the two-piece RFID device for tolling received a Silver Medal at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. In aviation maintenance, HAECO partnered with LSCM to implement autonomous mobile robot solutions at its Hong Kong maintenance, repair and overhaul facility, combining HAECO's aircraft maintenance expertise with LSCM's R&D capabilities in robotics, automation and smart logistics, with the project rolled out in the second quarter of 2025 and field trials set to commence in the fourth quarter. At its 2024 Logistics Summit, LSCM showcased, among other systems, a cross-boundary blockchain for pharmaceutical logistics information management, a digital supply chain logistics management platform for cell and gene therapy product manufacturing, an e-Smart Port Platform and a smart robotics coordination system for hospital logistics.

Public-sector work: quarantine wristbands and smart city pilots

LSCM's public-sector role became widely visible in February 2020. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong visited LSCM at Hong Kong Science Park to learn about its research, development and production of electronic wristbands for the Government's home quarantine measure during the early COVID-19 period. According to the government account of the visit, after LSCM learned during the Chinese New Year holidays that the Government was looking for an electronic device to monitor whether people under compulsory quarantine were staying at their dwelling places, its team completed the research and development, testing and production of the electronic wristbands within just a few days. The wristbands became an important tool for monitoring home quarantine, and LSCM continued to improve the product and increase production, making available nearly 2,000 wristbands for use at the time of the visit.

The centre describes itself more generally as an active partner in smart city development, participating in pilots and proofs of concept involving government bureaux and departments. Its 2026 summit materials state that it uses artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, robotic automation, satellite navigation and remote sensing, and network security and reliability technologies to promote digitalisation in Hong Kong, encourage digital transformation of the logistics industry, enhance efficiency and productivity in industries including logistics, hospitals and elderly services, and foster Hong Kong's smart city development. Technologies showcased at InnoEX 2026 included its Port Community System, Electronic Power Assist Trolley System series, air-conditioning water dripping inspection system, and smart lock applications and devices for confidential document tracking in the Greater Bay Area.

Leadership, summits and mainland collaboration

LSCM's public leadership in recent summit and partnership announcements includes Ir Prof Alan Lam as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Simon Wong as Chief Executive Officer. In October 2026, ZTE Hong Kong and LSCM signed a memorandum of understanding at Hong Kong Science Park during the LSCM Logistics Summit 2026, witnessed by Lam and signed by Wong, to cooperate on Hong Kong's digital and intelligent development, enhancing e-government information services and promoting local application of secure and reliable diversified technologies, covering areas including ICT infrastructure, artificial intelligence, general computing, operating systems and cybersecurity.

The annual LSCM Logistics Summit is the centre's flagship event. The 2024 summit, held on 10 October 2024 at Hong Kong Science Park under the theme From Smart City to Digital Economy, highlighted innovative technologies for smart city and digital economy development and opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, and saw LSCM sign memorandums of understanding with leading institutes in mainland China to advance collaboration in key technology research for smart city development and cross-border logistics. The 2026 summit likewise featured the launch of the Hong Kong LAE International Services Accelerator Hub and further MoUs with industry partners on the low-altitude economy, logistics and innovation and technology development, alongside a briefing co-hosted with the Digital Policy Office on secure and reliable IT systems and cybersecurity, including updates on LSCM's Information System Security and Reliability Assessment Centre.

Place in Hong Kong's innovation infrastructure

Taken together, the verified record presents LSCM as a durable piece of Hong Kong's innovation infrastructure: founded in 2006 as one of five Innovation and Technology Fund R&D centres, co-hosted by Hong Kong's three leading research universities, built first on RFID and e-Lock systems for cargo and customs, and expanded into AIoT, robotics, analytics, cybersecurity and e-commerce — with its results measured less by papers than by licensed technologies, government systems such as HKeToll and the quarantine wristbands, and adoption by industries in Hong Kong and mainland China.