A forum for educational cooperation, innovation and entrepreneurship among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao was held in Guangzhou's Nansha district on Dec 15.

At the meeting Xing Feng, deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Education, shared his hopes for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region to grow into an academic center featuring international scientific and technological exchange and cooperation.

The universities and colleges in the region have solid cooperation for personnel training, exchange of teachers and students, as well as research and innovation, Xing noted.

With the establishment of the alliance of universities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and the innovation and entrepreneurship alliance of universities in the region, the cooperation mechanism will be consolidated and perfected.

"These alliances will surely enhance friendship among the universities in the region, integrate advantageous academic resources, attract top talent from the region and explore deeper and broader ties in education," Xing said.

Kenneth Fok, director of the Fok Ying Tung Foundation, said the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cooperation has been upgraded in all fields in recent years.

The three sides have their own advantages in developing education and promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, meanwhile, they have formed a good foundation for cooperation.

The foundation will take the Nansha Passenger Deport Area as a pilot zone and build an experimental zone, which will create an international business and living environment similar to Hong Kong. The zone will introduce goods service providers, research and development institutes and educational facilities from foreign countries and regions like Hong Kong and Macao to encourage the free flow of talent and the attraction of professionals to open businesses work and live in the region.