English 
香港中文 BUD: Accelerate your expansion in mainland China and
Business growth in overseas markets
What is BUD Fund
“Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales” (“the BUD Fund“)
Support Hong Kong non-listed enterprises to develop their brands, upgrade and reorganize their businesses, and promote sales in the Mainland (through the Mainland Program) and other markets within the subsidized areas of the Free Trade Agreement and Investment Agreement Programme. This aims to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong enterprises and facilitate their business expansion in these markets.
Eligibility to Apply for BUD Fund
All unlisted enterprises registered in Hong Kong in accordance with the Business Registration Ordinance (Chapter 310) and having substantial business operations in Hong Kong are eligible to apply for funding. Regardless of whether they are engaged in the manufacturing or service industries, or have business operations in the Mainland, free trade agreement or investment treaty economies, they are all eligible to apply for funding.
BUD Fund Amount
– BUD special fund application:
● The maximum amount of BUD funding is HKD 7 million, and each project can apply for a maximum funding of HKD 1 million.
● Provide support on a 1(government):1(business) approach
● The maximum initial approved government subsidy amount of 75% can be obtained
– Easy to apply for BUD:
● The maximum cumulative funding amount for each enterprise (including audit fees) is HK$7 million in total
● Applications can be submitted twice a year, with a maximum of HK$100,000 in support per application.
The government can fund up to 50% of the total approved expenditure of an individual project (excluding the account audit fees required for the approved project) and the enterprise must bear no less than 50% of the total approved expenditure of the project in cash.
Types of Projects Funded by BUD
Qualified Hong Kong enterprises can submit applications for projects in the mainland or free trade zones and/or IPPA markets to develop brands, upgrade and transform, and/or expand marketing to develop markets under free trade agreements and/or investment agreements.
(Starting from March 3, 2024, the "BUD Special Fund" free trade agreement and investment agreement program will cover the ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union, Canada, Chile, Denmark, the four European Free Trade Association countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland), Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Macau, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom (a total of 38 economies).
Some examples that fall within the scope of this program are listed below:
Expansion of business units and workforce: Establish new business units and hire additional employees, provided that the employees hired are directly related to the project and their duties are dedicated solely to project implementation.
Promotion and marketing: Advertising activities, participating in exhibitions, designing/producing promotional materials, designing and establishing online sales platforms, creating or optimizing company websites, developing or improving promotional mobile applications (Apps), Youtube/Instagram/WeChat/Douyin/ Social media marketing on Xiaohongshu/Douyin, etc.
Product upgrade or development: purchase or lease machinery/equipment/moulds, produce or obtain product samples or prototypes.
Testing and intellectual property rights: testing/certification registration, product patent application, trademark registration application, and copyright protection application.
Project audit: Hire an external auditor to conduct a financial audit.
Documents required for BUD application
Mainland plan:
● Electronic version of the application form (MS Word format, available in Chinese or English).
● An original application form signed by the authorized person of the applicant company and stamped with company seal.
● Other supporting documents:
– A copy of the business registration certificate of the applying company.
– Copies of supporting documents supporting information on the major shareholders of the company being applied for (e.g. Annual Return AR1 issued by the Companies Registry).
– Copies of supporting documents proving that the applicant company has substantial business operations in Hong Kong.
– Copies of documents proving the direct investment relationship between the applying company and its business unit in the Mainland.
FTA and IPPA programs
● Soft copy of the application form (MS Word format, Chinese or English).
● An original copy of the application form, signed by an authorized representative of the applicant company and stamped with the company seal.
● Other supporting documents:
– A copy of the business registration certificate of the applying company.
– Copies of supporting documents supporting information on the major shareholders of the company being applied for (e.g. Annual Return AR1 issued by the Companies Registry).
– Copies of supporting documents proving that the applicant company has substantial business operations in Hong Kong.
– Copies of supporting documents proving the direct investment relationship between the applicant company and the local business unit.
How to Apply for BUD Funds?
Applicants have the choice to receive an initial payment for their approved projects. The disbursement of funds will be arranged based on the project duration as follows:
Payment options | Project implementation time | installment frequency | Initial allocation (% of total government approved funding) | mid-term appropriation (Government approved % of total allocation) | Total appropriation |
Need to apply for the first period appropriation | Up to 24 months | 2 | 75% | not applicable | Funding balance*# |
Not claiming the title period appropriation | 18 months or less | 1 | not applicable | not applicable | Funding balance * |
Over 18 months to 24 months | 2 | not applicable | Up to 50% | Funding balance * |
*Based on the total project expenditure that can be confirmed when the project is completed. # If the initial payment exceeds the allowable funding amount determined by the Project Management Committee, the applicant must refund any overpayment.
Application Process
Contact A&E consultants, a professional BUD consulting company, for streamlined funding application. Specializing in law, accounting, IT, e-commerce, and marketing, our experienced team offers on-stop services and expert guidance to secure funding faster. and maximize your chances of success