First-ever Hong Kong Science Fair Supports Hong Kong’s Innovation Development

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The Hong Kong Government is committed to promoting the development of innovation and technology and to grow Hong Kong as an international technology hub. Scientific work and technology has helped humankind in amazingly creative and innovative ways. Last year, the Hong Kong Innovation Foundation (HKIF) launched the first-ever Hong Kong Science Fair to encourage and challenge young minds to ‘Think Big Be Innovative’. Science projects provide opportunities for students to explore, learn from research and to discover new things. The Hong Kong Science Fair encourages students to be innovative and use technology to look at problems in different ways and to solve them. It is important to offer such opportunities to young people as it allows them to go through the thinking process which helps to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills. Interest in innovation and technology also grows as they grow these life-long skills.

According to the Global Innovation Index 2020, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou technology cluster is ranked the world’s second largest. With increased funding and investment in the necessary infrastructure from the Hong Kong government, the start-up ecosystem has expanded with a 6% rise in the number of start-ups in 2020 from the previous year (source: HKTDC). Hong Kong start-up’ major focuses include information and communication technologies (ICT), software as a service (SaaS), the Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, biotech, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), as well as new materials. These start-ups operate in a number of sectors including  fintech, smart city and smart home, healthcare and big data applications.

Dr Daryl Ng, Chairman of the HKIF commended students for their dedication and zeal to complete their projects under challenging times. “We are honoured to have the opportunity to present the inaugural Hong Kong Science Fair. This holds special meaning to us as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region this year. Nurturing innovation and technology talents from a young age is vital to the personal and professional growth of our young generations, to help them prepare for the future.  This is crucial to Hong Kong’s growth as an international I&T hub,” said Ng.

To promote and support young people in the areas of innovation and technology, students from Primary 4-6 and Secondary 1-6 were invited to participate in the Hong Kong Science Fair. Over 400 project proposals were received from teams of more than 1,200 students from local schools based on the fair theme, ‘Think Big Be Innovative’. From more than 400 submissions received, 120 were shortlisted to participate. The Hong Kong Science Fair has brought together a large swathe of experts and professionals to work with the promising young minds participating, with extensive support from Hong Kong Cyberport, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The University of Hong Kong, MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node,  and over 40 partners from various sectors. As an inaugural event, the support from the greater innovation and technology community is significant and exemplifies the importance of these skills for young people. At the award presentation ceremony on June 26, the students were supported by the virtual presence of Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR, Mr Alfred Sit, Secretary for Innovation and Technology (I&T) of Hong Kong SAR and Dr Daryl Ng, Chairman of the Hong Kong Innovation Foundation.