Jockey Club launches JC GoAI project to benefit over 100,000 students

In the HKSAR Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address, artificial intelligence (AI) was highlighted as a core industry to drive Hong Kong’s future development. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has committed over HK$255 million in funding through its Charities Trust to co-create the JC GoAI project with The Chinese University of Hong Kong. The project aims to provide systematic, multi‑faceted support for AI education across upper primary and junior secondary schools and equip students with essential AI literacy skills.

Jockey Club launches JC GoAI project to benefit over 100,000 students.

A launch ceremony for the project was held at Ying Wa College in Cheung Sha Wan today(12 March). Officiating guests included HKSAR Government Secretary for Education Dr Christine Choi and Club Steward Dr Henry Chan.

HKSAR Government Secretary for Education Dr Christine Choi (right) and Club Steward Dr Henry Chan (left) officiate at the JC GoAI project launch ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Club Steward Dr Henry Chan emphasised that the Club is committed to promoting education innovation. He noted the Club has supported the teaching of computational thinking in primary schools since 2016 and subsequently introduced AI education into the junior secondary school curriculum. Related teaching materials have been adopted by the Education Bureau and integrated into mainstream education. Building on these achievements, the Club launched the JC GoAI project to integrate AI learning elements across school subjects and to help teachers make effective use of AI in their teaching – thereby promoting high‑quality digital education.

Club Steward Henry Chan delivers a speech at the JC GoAI project launch ceremony.

This 4.5-year JC GoAI initiative aims to help students learn creatively, effectively and responsibly, enabling them to apply technology across disciplines and better prepare them for future workplace demands and social development. The project is expected to reach 300 primary and secondary schools and benefit over 100,000 students, providing professional training for around 2,200 teachers as well as educational activities to support more than 11,000 parents. Key components of the JC GoAI project include:

• AI teaching and learning resources: Co-designed by experts and teachers, they cover AI foundations and AI+ applications across subjects including Chinese, English, Mathematics, Science, Technology, Visual Arts and Humanities, ensuring that resources are both theory‑based and classroom‑relevant.

• Teacher professional development: Features in-person and online workshops, study trips and exchanges to help teachers master AI teaching and learning resources.

• School engagement and teacher community: Establishes a community of practice where teachers share best practices in classrooms, supported by “peer coaches” who lead in-school support.

• Student enrichment activities: Includes city-wide events such as AI challenges, tech industry visits, career talks with AI professionals and study trips to the Chinese Mainland.

• Parent education initiatives: Engages parents through parent-child workshops and seminars to build shared understanding and community support.

• Public education and dissemination: Runs AI education conferences, seminars and publicity events to promote ethical and human-centred use of AI.

For more details about JC GoAI, please visit: https://www.jcgoai.hk/en.

Jockey Club launches JC GoAI project to benefit over 100,000 students.

The Club has long sought to cultivate an inclusive, student-centric and future-ready educational environment. Teaching materials from previous Trust-created and funded projects – namely CoolThink@JC and the Jockey Club AI for the Future Project – have been adopted by the Education Bureau and widely incorporated into Hong Kong primary and secondary schools’ curricula. Looking ahead, the Club will continue to respond to social needs and support educational development in alignment with the HKSAR Chief Executive’s 2025 Policy Address to promote digital education.

Jockey Club launches JC GoAI project to benefit over 100,000 students.

The Club’s support for the JC GoAI project, like all its charity and community contributions, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club today (28 April) celebrated Hong Kong’s next generation of leaders and innovators at its Scholarships and Fellowships Award Presentation Ceremony and High Table Dinner. In total 110 scholarships and 10 STEM fellowships were presented and 45 graduating JC Scholars recognised. The annual event, which also saw the inauguration of five Endowed Professorships, underlined the Club’s long standing commitment to education and talent development.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (front row, 5th right); Club Deputy Chairman Lester Huang (front row, 5th left); Club Stewards Nicolas Hunsworth (front row, 4th left), Dr Henry Chan (front row, 3rd right), Anita Fung(front row, 3rd left), Jackson Woo (front row,2nd right), Philip Lo (front row, 2nd left), Rimsky Yuen (front row, 1st right) and John Lo (1st left); Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (front row, 4th right); Club Executive Director, Sports Business, Casper Stylsvig (back row, 1st right);Club Executive Director, Charities and Community, Dr Gabriel Leung (back row, 3rd left);Club Executive Director, People and Organisational Development, Dr Lake Wang (backrow, 2nd left); Club Executive Director, Security, Integrity and Information Security,Moray Taylor-Smith (back row, 3rd right); Club Executive Director, Legal andCompliance, James Bidlake (back row, 2nd right); and Club Chief Transformation Officer,Serena Lin (back row, 1st left) attended the dinner to witness and share the joy of the awardees.

The ceremony was hosted by Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao, who was joined by keynote speaker Professor Anita Elberse, Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School. Witnessing the occasion were Club Stewards, the Club’s CEO and members of the Club’s management team, together with representatives of participating tertiary institutions. Also sharing the joy were family members and friends of award recipients.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao delivers a speech at The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships and Fellowships Award Presentation Ceremony and High Table Dinner.

Speaking at the ceremony, Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao said that the Club well understands that people are Hong Kong’s most precious resource. That is why the Club has long invested in human capital and education, to propel the city’s economic development and sustain the prosperity of our nation.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (front row, centre) with recipients of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Chairman’s Scholarship.

In her keynote speech, Professor Anita Elberse reflected on her research into the world’s most accomplished sports and entertainment organisations and emphasised that success is not left to chance, but built on placing people at the centre, setting the highest standards and learning continuously – even in times of success. She encouraged scholars, fellows and professors to pursue excellence with discipline, trust those they work with, and lead in ways that uplift others when it matters most.

Keynote speaker Professor Anita Elberse congratulates awardees at The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships and Fellowships Award Presentation Ceremony and High Table Dinner.

Launched in 1998, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships were established to nurture compassionate, socially minded leaders for the betterment of society. Over the years, the programme has expanded to encompass vocational education, undergraduates from the Chinese Mainland and overseas studying in Hong Kong, and students who have overcome significant adversity. A new music and dance scholarship has also been introduced for young talent pursuing professional studies in music and dance at leading institutions outside Hong Kong. To date, over HK$1.25 billion1 has been approved, benefiting more than 1,200 outstanding young people.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (front row, centre) with The Hong Kong Jockey Club Striding On Scholarship awardees.

Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (front row, centre) with graduating JC Scholars.

JC Scholars have continued to make meaningful contributions to society. Over the past year, Striding On Scholars won a number of medals in national and international para table-tennis competitions. Winnie Pang, recipient of a Striding On Scholarship this year, was born with congenital cerebral palsy affecting her right limbs. Despite the challenges, she has demonstrated remarkable discipline in balancing her studies with elite sports training. She represented HKSAR at the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities which took place in December last year, where she won one gold and two silver medals in table tennis.

Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (centre) with JC Scholars Sunny Wong (2nd right), Winnie Pang (1st left), Samantha Yeung (1st right) and JC STEM Early Career Research Fellow Dr Jeff Lam (2nd left).

Striding On Scholars have achieved outstanding results at national and international para table-tennis competitions. Among them is Winnie Pang (left), who has also received cash awards under the Hong Kong Jockey Club Athlete Incentive Awards Scheme in recognition of her outstanding performance.

JC Scholar Sunny Wong (2nd left) and JC Scholar Winnie Pang (1st right) at a JC Scholar volunteer event.

To cultivate a strong pipeline of innovation and technology talent, the Club established the JC STEM Early Career Research Fellowship for Translation and Application in 2024. The Fellowship provides comprehensive support and unique opportunities for early-career researchers to advance research translation, expand professional networks and create social impact.

Deputy Chairman Lester Huang (front row, centre) with recipients of the JC STEM Early Career Research Fellowship for Translation and Application.

Dr Jeff Lam is one of this year’s JC STEM Early Career Research Fellows. After completing his PhD at the University of Cambridge, he chose to return to Hong Kong to research Alzheimer’s disease among the Chinese population. Though East Asians who carry APOE4, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, face a higher risk of developing the disease, Asians, particularly Chinese population, are currently underrepresented in existing studies. He aspires to help fill this critical research gap by generating findings more relevant to Asian communities.

Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (centre) with JC Scholars Sunny Wong (3rd right), Winnie Pang (1st right), and Samantha Yeung (2nd right); JC STEM Early Career Research Fellow Dr Jeff Lam (1st left) and graduating JC Scholars Rex Cheuk (3rd left) and Natalie Mak (2nd left).

JC STEM Early Career Research Fellow Dr Jeff Lam conducts research at the JC STEM Lab of Neurobiology and Therapeutics of Alzheimer’s Disease.

The ceremony also marked the first induction of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Endowed Professorships, reflecting the Club’s holistic investment in higher education. The Endowed Professorships aim to advance research in areas of global health and sustainability, benefitting communities in Hong Kong and beyond.

Deputy Chairman Lester Huang (centre) with recipients of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Endowed Professorships.

The Club’s support for The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships, Fellowships and Endowed Professorships, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.

Pictured with JC Scholars, JC STEM Early Career Research Fellows and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Endowed Professors are Club Chairman The Hon Martin Liao (front row, 7thleft); keynote speaker Professor Anita Elberse, Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School (front row, 7th right); members of the Club’s Board of Stewards; Club management members and representatives of participating tertiary institutions.