The University of Hong Kong held the annual Innovation & Entrepreneurship Day: "DreamOn 2023" on campus today (June 5). The event highlights the University's latest innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives and reaffirms its dedication to fostering a strong ecosystem to unleash the innovation potential of the legacy university.
Over 40 HKU start-ups showcased their innovations on the occasion, supported under two major start-up programmes by the University - DeepTech 100 and TSSSU@HKU.
The event also included three panel discussions featuring successful HKU entrepreneurs highlighting the ventures translating research breakthroughs into impactful start-ups, such as surgery robots and new life-saving drugs; live pitches from aspiring techno-entrepreneurs, and ample opportunities for networking with fellow entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders.
Addressing the participants at the event, Professor Xiang Zhang, President of HKU, reaffirmed HKU's commitment to inspiring and empowering students, graduates, and researchers to lead positive changes for the city, the nation, and the world. He encouraged HKU members to "dream big, innovate deep, and stay resilient".
"HKU has laid out concrete plans to enhance its innovation capacity and launched a series of I&E initiatives to strengthen the HKU ecosystem, all in support of HKSAR's development towards an international I&T centre," he said.
Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR government, commended HKU for its innovation initiatives, as well as its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship and nurturing future innovators.
"I appreciate the University of Hong Kong for its relentless pursuit of excellence and tireless efforts to translate deep tech into impactful solutions. Your contributions fortify Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem and create a lasting impact," said Professor Sun.
"It is inspiring to see the confluence of various I&T stakeholders demonstrating their support for HKU…. This united vision will be instrumental in transforming Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology centre." He added.
Mr Charles Li, Founder & Chairman of Micro Connect, HKU Council member, and the former Chief Executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), was the keynote speaker. He passionately shared his unwavering aspiration to continue driving positive changes as an executive-turned-entrepreneur.
Professor Max Shen, Vice-President (Research), HKU, took the opportunity to introduce key initiatives poised to invigorate the HKU innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem before the official inauguration of the Techno-Entrepreneurship Core (TEC) and the launch of the HKU Entrepreneurship Engine Fund.
TEC is a one-stop platform committed to coordinating and synergising diverse entrepreneurial resources within and beyond HKU. It underscores the University's commitment to fostering a dynamic innovation landscape, nurturing change-makers, and incubating deep tech venture
The HKU Entrepreneurship Engine Fund marks a monumental step in nurturing entrepreneurial minds and translating disruptive technologies into meaningful societal impact through investment. Collaborating with investors and stakeholders, this new fund will serve as patient capital, seeding deep tech ventures and accelerating promising start-ups.
Other new measures include new start-up-friendly IP policies to further incentivise research commercialisation and foster an innovation-inducive environment.
"The University of Hong Kong, renowned for its top talents, research excellence, and disruptive innovations, opens a vibrant new chapter in nurturing change-makers and driving societal impact," said Professor Shen.
About HKU DeepTech100
HKU DeepTech100 is a one-year co-ideation programme with HKU iDendron and HKSTP. This programme is the first of its kind in Hong Kong, aiming for translating deep tech research outcomes from the University into future businesses. HKU and HKSTP join forces to provide research and development resources as well as funding, business, and start-up support.
About TSSSU@HKU
TSSSU@HKU is an award scheme that provides funding support to technology start-up companies formed by HKU members leveraging the "Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities" (TSSSU) by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC). Companies awarded under the scheme will receive a maximum amount of HK$1.5M per year for at most 3 years for TSSSU-O and 3 years for TSSSU+, respectively. In 2023/24, 32 start-ups are funded under TSSSU-O and TSSSU+.
