More areas within the Northern Metropolis could benefit from new measures to the ease the cross-border flow of data, materials and capital, with pilot initiatives set to launch this year in the innovation zone Hong Kong shares with Shenzhen.The details were revealed in a paper submitted to the Legislative Council by the Development Bureau, which provided an update on drafting dedicated legislation to accelerate development of the 30,000-hectare (74,131-acre) megaproject near the border with mainland China.According to the paper, the government and mainland counterparts are discussing implementation details for the cross-border flow of data, materials and capital at the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone.“We are actively pushing to implement a pilot project this year,” the bureau said in the paper. “Based on the actual situation, we will consider expanding the measures to areas outside the Hong Kong Park.”The zone, proposed by Beijing in 2017, comprises an 87-hectare park in Hong Kong and a 302-hectare one in Shenzhen.Industry players have called for easing restrictions on the cross-border flow of elements such as biosamples to foster collaboration and support the city’s move to become a global innovation and technology hub.