The power of meeting up – Science Park tech companies and start-ups collaborate to grow
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In a world that embraces innovation, an open exchange of insights and a spirit of collaboration are key to igniting creativity and disruptive thinking. This is exactly what happened at “InnoXchange” sessions held at Hong Kong Science Park. Technopreneurs would meet, network, brainstorm, share insights and explore co-creation opportunities.
It works, sometimes in unexpected ways. At an “InnoXchange” session at Scania, the Swedish manufacturer of trucks and coaches, over a dozen tech companies were gathered around the table to discuss potential collaboration in areas such as cargo traceability, indoor automotive tracking, and advanced electric vehicle charging.
One participant was unlike the others. Tim Chu, producer of Mad Head Limited, a local mobile game developer and publisher, stood up, introduced himself and highlighted Mad Head’s development in the past 10 years at Science Park. He laughed and said, “I’m still thinking about how we can collaborate!”
Yet it turned out he was at the right place. Scania plans to develop gamification products to enhance truck drivers’ driving experience, including driving efficiency and fuel consumption, explained Gustav Arrhenius, head of digital transformation, Scania Hong Kong.
This was how the seeds of dialogue and collaboration were sown between two companies coming from vastly different sectors – a Swedish automotive manufacturer and a Hong Kong mobile game developer.
“I am surprised to find so many interesting companies at Science Park,” said Carl-Frederik Zachrisson, managing director of Scania Hong Kong, as the InnoXchange session wrapped up. “I am sure there will be a lot of follow-up to do.”
“InnoXchange” is a mind jam programme held by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) during its two-week experiential event to celebrate the progress of innovations and technology – “MakeITHongKong 3-2-1 Go! Bang!”. This programme ignites new ideas, promotes insight-sharing and co-creation among HKSTP park companies with different technology areas and backgrounds, with a vision of putting the best brains together to seek collaborative opportunities for the future.
Various sessions were hosted by the tech industry’s luminaries to discuss topics including AI/ IoT applications, biomedical and healthcare technology, blockchain technology, smart city solutions and other related areas.
While it takes more than one “InnoXchange” session to find a perfect match between problems and solutions, the beginning of a dialogue is important. At another InnoXchange session, Arrow Asia Pac Limited, a global engineering firm introduced its 3,000 Sq. ft. “Open Lab” at Science Park.
High-end electronic lab equipment and facilities were highlighted to the visiting representatives, ranging from soldering iron and digital meters to a radio frequency (RF) spectrum analyser, a spectroradiometer, an audio analyser, etc. Participants were invited to register as a member to utilise lab facilities and seek professional advice from Arrow’s engineers for developing innovative engineering concepts and designs.
Apart from all the hardware support, representatives from Arrow also shared various co-creation experiences with different tech companies, and explained how Arrow supported them with customised solutions, both in hardware and software, to cater for the companies’ needs.
