Francis Ho is the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the Hong Kong Government. The Commission's mission is to spearhead Hong Kong's drive to become a world class, knowledge based economy in the 21st Century. Mr. Ho was instrumental in establishing the Commission in 2000 and has since then been responsible for the formulation and execution of its pioneer programmes. These programmes aim at strengthening Hong Kong's applied R&D activities and institutions; promoting corporate R&D and enhancing their linkage with university resources; fostering technology entrepreneurism through government venture capital funding schemes, grants to small business research and technology incubation programmes; and developing of technology infrastructure such as the science park and industrial estates.