Speech by SITI at Opening Ceremony of HK Tech 300 Expo
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, at the Opening Ceremony of HK Tech 300 Expo today (May 23):
Chairman Ngai (Chairman of the Council, City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Mr Michael Ngai), President Boey (President and University Distinguished Professor of CityU, Professor Freddy Boey), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is my great pleasure to join you today at the opening ceremony of the HK Tech 300 Expo and the launch ceremony of the HK Tech 300 International Start-up Competition.
I would like to first commend City University of Hong Kong and its partners for their instrumental role in supporting young talent and nurturing deep-tech start-ups in our community. Today at the Expo, I am delighted to see approximately 300 innovative start-ups and projects incubated by the HK Tech 300 programme. These initiatives demonstrate their success in translating research and innovative ideas into practical applications. I am particularly encouraged to see the programme expanding its footprint into Mainland China, Southeast Asia, and beyond.
Over the years, the Government has implemented various policies and made significant investments to nurture and enhance support for start-ups. For example, the $10 billion Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme was launched in 2023 to fund, on a matching basis, research teams from universities with good potential to become successful start-ups to transform and commercialise their R&D (research and development) outcomes. I am pleased to see that several awarded CityU projects have already shown promising development and I look forward to seeing their research results in successful market applications.
To attract more venture capital to co-invest in local I&T (innovation and technology) start-ups, we launched the Innovation and Technology Venture Fund enhanced scheme recently by redeploying up to $1.5 billion to set up funds jointly with the market, also on a matching basis, to invest in start-ups of strategic industries, thereby empowering start-ups with more financing support. We are also preparing for the launch of the Pilot I&T Accelerator Scheme to attract professional start-up service providers with proven track records in and beyond Hong Kong to set up accelerator bases in Hong Kong to foster the robust growth of start-ups and enhance the I&T ecosystem.
As I always emphasise, interactive collaboration between the Government, industry, academia, research and investment sectors is essential for Hong Kong's I&T development. CityU and the HK Tech 300 programme play a crucial role in this, creating a vibrant ecosystem that fosters cross-disciplinary, cross-sector and cross-industry collaboration. We must continue our efforts to work together to support our young entrepreneurs, providing them with the necessary resources, mentorship and opportunities they need to turn their ideas into impactful solutions, further bolstering the development of Hong Kong as an international I&T hub.
The start-up journey is undoubtedly challenging, but with the right direction and enthusiasm, even a small idea can have a significant impact and benefit society. I encourage all of you to stay creative and innovative, and I look forward to witnessing our start-ups to grow into gazelles, unicorns or even industry giants in the near future.
In closing, may I wish you a fruitful and inspiring experience over the next two days at the HK Tech 300 Expo. Thank you very much.
Speech by SITI at Opening Ceremony of HK Tech 300 Expo Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
EDB reminds parents to choose primary schools under Central Allocation process for their children
The Education Bureau (EDB) today (January 12) reminded parents that children who have joined the Primary One Admission (POA) System for 2026 but have not yet secured a discretionary place can take part in the Central Allocation process for a Primary One (P1) place in a government or aided primary school. Parents concerned should make their choice of schools within the period from January 19 to 25.
Digitalisation of POA
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In line with the Smart Government strategy, the EDB has fully implemented digitalisation of the POA. Parents who have registered as POA e-Platform (ePOA) users and have bound their account to "iAM Smart+" may submit the Choice of Schools Form for Central Allocation from January 19 to 25 through the ePOA. Please refer to the related videos and Parent's Guide on the EDB's website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/primary-1-admission/poa_eplatform/index.html) for details of the procedures for activating and logging into an ePOA account and for making school choices for the Central Allocation of POA via the e-Platform.
Making school choices at Central Allocation Centres
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The EDB will send letters to parents on January 14 inviting them to make their choice of schools. To cater for the needs of different parents, parents can still submit the Choice of Schools Form in paper form by visiting the designated Central Allocation Centre at the suggested time slot (i.e. 9.30am to 12.30pm or 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 24 (Saturday) or 9.30am to 12.30pm on January 25 (Sunday)) stated in the letter.
Parents who are ePOA users may choose to submit the Central Allocation Application via the ePOA or in paper form to the Central Allocation Centre but should not submit duplicate applications. Parents who have not yet received the letter by January 19 should call the School Places Allocation Section of the EDB (Hotline: 2832 7700) as soon as possible.
Only one parent of an applicant child is required to complete the school choice-making procedures. Parents are advised not to take their children to the Central Allocation Centre if possible. Parents who cannot make school choices within the suggested time slot can go to the designated Central Allocation Centre from 1.30pm to 4.30pm on January 25. The Choice of Schools Form will be sent together with the letter to parents who have submitted a paper Application Form at the Discretionary Places stage for filling out in advance.
In the event of adverse weather or other special conditions on any day during the period of making school choices, please pay heed to radio or television announcements on the relevant special arrangements.
Unable to submit application within specified choice-making period
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For individual parents who are unable to use the ePOA or go to the Central Allocation Centre to make school choices, they can authorise in writing a representative to bring the completed Choice of Schools Form and their signed Letter of Authorisation to the Central Allocation Centre to proceed with the related procedures.
To apply for POA 2026 for their children after January 25, parents need to complete necessary procedures with the School Places Allocation Section, which will separately arrange P1 places for the applicant children in June.
Change of residential address
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An EDB spokesman reminded parents that, if they have recently moved their residence or have such plans in the near future, they are required to inform the School Places Allocation Section as soon as possible so that they can make school choices in the POA School Net where their new home is located. Parents should fill in the actual residential address of their child. If they provide a false address for securing a P1 place, the POA application of their child will be rendered void and the P1 place allocated will be withdrawn.
The EDB has put in place a monitoring mechanism to verify the residential addresses of applicant children as given by the parents. Random checks have also been stepped up. The public may call the School Places Allocation Section to report suspected cases of using a false address by parents for their children's POA application. The EDB will take action against false address cases.
Mechanism of Central Allocation
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Central Allocation is composed of two parts. Part A, which takes up 10 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation, is for unrestricted school choices. Parents can choose up to three government or aided primary schools in any school net. Part B takes up the remaining 90 per cent of the P1 places earmarked for Central Allocation. Parents of applicant children residing in the school net concerned are to select schools from the "Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (Primary One Admission 2026)" of their school net, while parents of applicant children who intend to commute daily to schools in Hong Kong are to select schools from the "2026 Choice of Schools List for Central Allocation (For Applicant Children who intend to commute daily to schools in Hong Kong)". Parents should fill in the Choice of Schools Form in the order of their preference.
The mechanism of the Central Allocation is based on parents' choices in general. The computer-programmed allocation will first process the school choices in Part A and then the school choices in Part B. For oversubscribed schools, the order of priority in allocating places will be determined by random numbers generated by the computer for individual applicants to ensure fairness.
For information about the procedures for Central Allocation, please call the EDB's 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088.
Release of Central Allocation results
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For parents who have already activated their ePOA account via "iAM Smart" or "iAM Smart+", they will receive their Central Allocation results through the ePOA from 10am on June 3. Parents who wish to receive the allocation results via SMS on June 3 may choose such an option in the Choice of Schools Form. In addition, the allocation results will be sent to parents by post on June 3 and 4.
Source: AI-found images
