News

We are glad to announce that the SI CEO Competition has proudly entered into another stage with 139 proposals received (submission closed on 13 January). We are also delighted to see diverse innovative ways to address issues in care for elderly, food support and social inclusion being proposed by the students. All the proposals are now being evaluated by the shortlisting judging panel and five finalists are expected to be announced in February. The finalists will undergo a mentorship programme with coaching by CEOs and senior executives of renowned corporations to help them equip themselves for the final pitching and compete for various awards. We extend our gratitude to all participating students, judges, mentors and supporting partners.
Stay tuned for news on the Competition, you may follow our Facebook page or visit website of SI CEO Competition for updates.

Thanks to the support of our stakeholders, we are glad to see the Fund having substantial progress in various aspects. Our intermediaries continue with their programmes to nurture ideas; more funded ventures are being approved; the SI CEO Competition enters the next stage as submission of proposals closes; St. James' Settlement is geared up for the Food Support Flagship Project. To plan for upcoming jobs the second term Task Force held its eighth meeting on 23 January. We look forward to seeing new initiatives to add to the current efforts of fostering the social innovation eco-system and inspiration of ideas. Stay connected to check out our latest development.

The Task Force started its outreaching and stakeholder engaging activities in 2017 with a visit to the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) on 20 January. Joining us were members from other task forces under the Commission on Poverty. Received by Mr Peter Mok, Head of Incubation Programmes of HKSTP, the delegates were enlighted on a wide diversity of facilities being provided to support entrepreneurship, such as the Data Studio for startups to develop solutions to create social, economic and environmental impact; the co-working spaces for local and overseas projects and university technology transfer, etc. The visit also came with demonstrations from the resident companies on various fronts of innovation, ranging from biotechnology, application of artificial intelligence to social technology. As shared by all participants, it was a fruitful and inspiring trip which had deepened their understanding on the latest technology innovations and the full range of support for budding entrepreneurs through the provision of co-working spaces and associated professional supporting services.

We are glad to present the first quarter newsletter of 2017 at the start of the year. Stories covered in this issue include news about the SI CEO Competition, updates on funded ventures, latest results of capacity building programmes, round-up of SENSE's first year activities, as well as the development of “HKSI”. Please click here for stories in full or visit the "Newsletter" section for past issues. Your feedback or ideas are always welcome.