In February 2026, the Center for Business and Technology Ecosystem (CTBE) at HKUST Business School officially released the report named Measuring the Future: Constructing a Dual-Dimension Index of Technology Development Potential and Ecosystem Co-Benefit Capacity for Global Leading Tech Cities.
With the guidance of the steering committee led by Prof. Kai-Lung Hui (associate provost of HKUST and director of CTBE) and the findings of the research team led by Prof. Zhaoli Meng (associate director of CTBE), the report introduces a dual-dimensional analytical framework centered on Technology Development Potential (TDP) and Ecosystem Co-benefit Capacity (ECB). This framework brings together both the scale of technological capability and the quality of its outcomes within a single evaluative system. It emphasizes that technological development is not merely a process of accumulating technology and capital, but a complex transformation that must be absorbed, regulated, and converted through institutional, industrial, social, and environmental systems.
This report is not intended to produce yet another city ranking. Rather, it seeks to offer a new interpretive coordinate. Ahead of the full arrival of the AI era, this framework helps cities, firms, and policymakers more clearly recognize how technology is reshaping social structures, and how institutional design and ecosystem coordination can guide technological progress toward long-term, sustainable public value.
The full report is available at our "Publications" page.