Government announces Technology Voucher Programme will cease accepting applications
The Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) announced today (December 13) that the Technology Voucher Programme (TVP) will cease accepting applications after December 31, 2024.
"The Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) administered by the ITC has been set up for over 20 years. It has made significant contributions to the local innovation and technology development by nurturing numerous research and development (R&D) talent and start-ups, delivering commercialised R&D results, as well as attracting many private investments," an ITC spokesperson said. "To ensure the proper use of public resources and the overall sustainability of the ITF so that it can continue to drive high-quality development of Hong Kong's economy, besides introducing new schemes, the Government must keep pace with the times and continue to refine and consolidate existing schemes under the ITF."
The TVP was launched under the ITF in November 2016 to subsidise local enterprises/organisations in using technological services and solutions on a matching basis. The TVP accepts applications from enterprises/organisations of all industries and does not have pre-defined types of eligible technological services. As of November 30 this year, 37059 TVP applications involving a total funding amount of about $6.6 billion have been approved, which helped enterprises improve productivity, and upgrade or transform their business processes.
The Government considers that the TVP has achieved its original intent. In recent years, the Government has continued to strengthen support measures for different industries, and many bureaux and departments have introduced more targeted funding schemes dedicated to the specific conditions or operational needs of individual industries. In view of this, the Government has decided to cease accepting new TVP applications after December 31 this year.
For enquiries concerning TVP application arrangements, please contact the TVP Secretariat (Tel: 2789 7000; email: tvp-enquiry@hkpc.org).
Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire
The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:
Financial and welfare support
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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about $3.7 billion as of noon today (December 21). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $4 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.
Accommodation support
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Currently, there is still a supply of more than 1 000 units that can provide affected residents with longer-term accommodation. The transitional housing and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) projects in different districts can altogether provide around 500 units at the moment. Moreover, Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun and Runway 1331 at Kai Tak can provide a supply of around 900 units.
As of this morning, a total of 572 residents are staying in hotel rooms through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, and 563 residents are staying in youth hostels/camps. Another 3 513 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, units from the HKHS or Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.
The Transport Department (TD) has been steering public transport operators (PTOs) to enhance services of franchised buses, green minibuses and residents' services (RS) by deploying additional vehicles and manpower to support residents affected by the fire who have been admitted into transitional housing in various districts, facilitating transfers to other services to and from different districts. Among them, an additional RS will be introduced connecting CONCORDIA Tsat Sing Kong and CONCORDIA Sheung Yue River in Yuen Long and Tai Po Market Station. The TD will closely co-ordinate with operating organisations of transitional housing projects concerned and PTOs to cater for residents' commuting needs.
Relief supplies and donations
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The supplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received around 2 000 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, over 29 000 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.
Investigation and regulation
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Relevant policy bureaux and departments continue to follow up on the fire investigation and regulatory efforts.
Source: AI-found images
