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Research findings of the city's first gerontechnology landscape study were released on 12 June. Closely following it was a cross-sector workshop held on 20 June to deepen discussions on the subject. Over 60 participants from a wide spectrum of sectors including social service units, product developers and manufacturers, product and service users, businesses, social ventures, advisory bodies and government bureaux and departments gathered together and shared their perspectives regarding how to foster the development and application of gerontechnology products and services in Hong Kong. It is hoped that the workshop will pave the way for a wider collaboration, through which new ideas, products and services will be generated to grab the opportunities in the silver hair market and better serve the needs of the elderly.

A report on this stakeholder engagement activity can be found here.

The Fund has attained significant progress on various fronts in recent months. More social ventures were funded, delivering diverse solutions to address social needs; the SI CEO Competition held the final pitching and award ceremony in April and the winners will enter into the next stage of the programme including overseas exploration trips on social innovation and idea implementation; the intermediary for the Food Support Flagship Project launched the FOOD-CO, a collaborative platform for food support, in May in three pilot districts; the study on gerontechnology in Hong Kong was completed with its findings released on 12 June. While other initiatives are also in the pipeline, the 11th meeting of the second term Task Force was held on 13 June to look into more ways to foster the development of the social innovation ecosystem. Stay connected to check out our latest development.

The issue of ageing population has been arousing extensive public concerns. In order to help stakeholders get hold of the current situation of elderly care products and services and thereby explore innovative solutions to address the needs, the SIE Fund has recently engaged the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) to conduct a study on gerontechnology. Major findings of the study conducted by Our Hong Kong Foundation in partnership with HKCSS have been released lately.

Statistics suggest that in about twenty years, the number of people aged 65 or above will make up about 30% of the population in Hong Kong. Being better educated and better off, the future ageing population is expected to seek a more self-reliant and quality living in their later years. Meanwhile, many gerontech products are available in the market but are far from popular. Besides, the unmet demands now and in future in the silver hair market are yet to be exploited. We hope that the study will raise the awareness of the stakeholders and public about gerontechology and draw stakeholders’ attention towards these unserved demands, leading to the development of products and services that will enhance the living quality of the elderly, support the caregivers, and improve the quality and efficiency of elderly care services. (Read more from the press release.)

We are pleased to share the latest development of the Food Support Flagship Project. St. James' Settlement, as the intermediary of the Project, has launched the FOOD-CO platform in three pilot districts namely Kwai Tsing, Kwun Tong and Yuen Long in May 2017. This inclusive and collaborative platform not only shares information on the demand and supply of food items and related services but also promotes best practices among food support service providers and food donors, with the ultimate goal of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of food support services in Hong Kong. Members of the public and people in need can locate service points in their districts and get hold of their service details using the on-line Food Sharing Map. The platform is expected to cover all 18 districts in Hong Kong starting from 2018. More details are available at the FOOD-CO website and from the press release. Please stay connected for further updates on the Project and give your support.