Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2020

I am delighted to congratulate the 25 students who have been selected as recipients of 2020 Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award.

This year’s Scholarship Award winners, from four Hong Kong universities, are pursuing degrees in medicine, sciences, engineering and the arts, with one among them studying fashion and textiles. More than outstanding achievers, these young men and women serve as role models for the dedication and drive they bring to their studies and, no less important, for the innovative spirit that underlies everything they do.

The COVID-19 pandemic only underlines how vital innovation and technology (I&T) is for all of us. Applying the latest technologies, governments, institutions and individuals around the world are predicting COVID-19 infection patterns and the risk of community outbreaks, identifying characteristics of the virus to accelerate vaccine development, improving diagnostic accuracy by comparing the virus with other diseases, employing automatic-image analysis and infrared-body temperature detectors and so much more. Some are even deploying robots for disinfection and food and courier delivery. These, and other I&T applications, are creating a new normal in the daily lives of people all over the world.

In Hong Kong, the Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel developed a reusable face mask which won a Gold Medal at the 2018 International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva. In June and July this year, an updated version of the smart, six-layered mask, or the CuMask+, was made available to every Hong Kong resident. And, since mid-June, 20 subsidised production lines run by 15 Hong Kong companies have been supplying some 42 million made-in-Hong Kong masks a month to the Government and local consumer market, thanks to a timely and creative collaboration between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Hong Kong Productivity Council and the local business community.

These and other coronavirus-inspired innovations underline my Government’s commitment to I & T. In my three years as Chief Executive, we have allocated more than US$13 billion to support I&T programmes and initiatives, including Health@InnoHK and AIR@InnoHK research clusters attracting world-class institutions here to collaborate with our research centres and universities in dedicated laboratories at the Hong Kong Science Park. It is all designed to spur research and development, build Hong Kong’s I&T infrastructure, promote our technology talent and encourage the adoption of I&T throughout our economy and community.

To encourage our youth, I am pleased to note that the Innovation and Technology Commission launched its STEM Internship Scheme this past summer, providing opportunities for students to participate in I&T-related initiatives during their university studies. And, of course, the Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, puts a well-deserved spotlight on the next generation of Hong Kong leaders and innovators. My congratulations to each and every one of you. I wish you continuing success in the years to come.

My thanks to The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, organiser of the Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award. I am also grateful to the Innovation and Technology Commission and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, joint sponsors of the Scholarship Award. Working together, I am confident that Hong Kong will flourish as a centre of innovation and technology throughout this 21st century of challenge and unlimited opportunity.

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One of the many lessons we are learning in this time of the pandemic is the importance of science and technology to humankind. In the fight to overcome this current health crisis, we rely more than ever on our scientists, doctors, technologists, researchers, biologists and engineers across all the disciplines. The need for innovative vision and scientific depth of knowledge will only increase as we face the challenges that coming years may bring.

More than ever, it’s clear that our future depends on the talent, hard work, and creativity demonstrated by promising students like the 25 young Innovation and Technology Scholars of 2020.

We nurture our best and brightest not only to launch careers, but to benefit society as a whole. In the ten years that we’ve been honoring top scholars with Innovation and Technology scholarships, we’ve been impressed not just by the awardees’ scholastic accomplishments, but by their sense of social responsibility and ethics. We seek to honor students who excel at their disciplines, but who also understand the extraordinary impact that scientific and technological innovations will have on people’s lives.

I’d like to thank the Innovation and Technology Commission, HSBC and The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups for their efforts in sponsoring and supporting these awards over the years. Also, I’d like to acknowledge with gratitude the companies, organisations and individuals who have contributed valuable time, guidance, internships and sponsorships for these talented and promising young people.

Finally, my warmest congratulations to all the awardees. I encourage you all to work hard, dream big, and never stop chasing the big dreams and the innovative ideas. Our future depends on them--and on you.

If not for science and technology, even this online and uploaded ceremony would not be possible. We live in a world that is dominated, driven and decided by technology, but what makes it so exciting is its constant evolution and progress.

That is why I am so happy to be able to celebrate this Scholarship Ceremony with 25 young talents who have shown a passion to be innovative and creative in helping us, the community, and who knows, even the world ways to move forward.

Congratulations to all of you. Through this scholarship, we very much hope that you can realise your ideas and put them into practice. Through this scholarship, you will have the opportunity to be mentored and guided through your academic and career pathways. Through this scholarship, you will be supported and encouraged to reach your full potential in InnoTech industries.

In normal circumstances, through this scholarship, you would have had the opportunity to undertake placements, attachments or internships either on the Mainland or further afield. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed all that. Even though borders may be closed, I truly believe that your journey will never experience a lockdown.

This Scholarship is made possible only with the genuine enthusiasm and support of the Innovation and Technology Commission and HSBC. We are so grateful for this, and we would like to thank all those involved in the process of choosing the very best: the Selection Committee, Administration Committee. We would also like to express our deepest appreciation to all the supporting organisations and mentors for enabling hands-on experiences over the years.

You, the 25 new Scholarship Awardees join 225 others over the last nine years, all of whom seek to advance their knowledge and innovation in Science and Technology. You have a legacy upon which to build and we have every confidence in you.

Again, congratulations to all the Scholarship Awardees. On behalf of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, I welcome you all to this big family. You will be one of the contributors to make this community bigger and stronger.

Thank you.

The Honourable Mrs. Carrie Lam, Mr. Bernard Chan, distinguished guests, students, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.

It is a pleasure to be here and to be part of such a happy occasion.

Let me start by congratulating this year’s Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award recipients – you are Hong Kong’s rising stars.

We will increasingly look to creative thinkers and problem-solvers like you as we emerge from under this COVID-19 cloud.

We will need your ideas to recover the strength that will enable us to once again thrive as a city.

Difficult periods like this test our resilience.

But adversity also presents the opportunity to shine - to rise above the challenges before us and discover solutions to seemingly impossible problems.

After all … “necessity is the mother of invention”.

During our relatively thin slice of history, we have witnessed countless inventions impact our lives in profound ways.

Yes, there’s the smartphone.

But there are lots of other innovative applications of technology that we now mostly take for granted … electricity, global telecommunications, computers, the Internet of Things, transportation and the various biomedical devices that help us live long and healthy lives.

They all share one thing in common. They were created by passionate and driven people.

And we see the same potential in this year’s 25 student awardees.

We believe talented people can improve the lives of everyone within a community.

That’s why HSBC co-founded this scholarship programme with the Innovation and Technology Commission and The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups ten years ago.

Hong Kong itself has become a dynamic hub for innovation, recognized as a leader across the region.

There are nearly 3,200 startups here in Hong Kong.

We were also home to eight unicorns - or startups with a valuation of over HKD7.8 billion – last year.

Our diverse and entrepreneurial spirit is exactly what we’ll need to rebound from the current pandemic.

That and the continued support from the Innovation and Technology Commission, and The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups - which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Both have built a legacy of supporting this city’s emerging talent.

I’d like to end by congratulating this year’s talented individuals once again.

I believe they will lead us toward a very bright and prosperous future!

Thank you.