Event Highlight | CUHK Innovation Day 2023 (21 Sep 2023)
Over 40 CUHK start-ups gather at Innovation Day to showcase fruitful results of industry-academia-research collaboration
CUHK establishes “CUHK Innovation Limited” to finance start-ups
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The Innovation Day and Entrepreneur Day, which were both the diamond jubilee events, were held on 21 September and 22-23 September respectively. The events aimed at showcasing the outstanding achievements of CUHK’s scholars, students and alumni in innovations and technologies, with a focus on how they create value and bring benefits to society.
The third CUHK Innovation Day promotes the development of the campus innovation ecosystem
The Opening Ceremony of Innovation Day was officiated by Mr Ivan Lee Kwok-bun, the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government; CUHK’s three Pro-Vice-Chancellors, Professor Chan Wai-yee, Professor Sham Mai-har and Professor Anthony T.C. Chan; and Professor Benny Zee Chung-ying, Director of CUHK’s Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer Services (ORKTS).
Mr Lee remarked that, “The Government has made unprecedented strides to promote innovation and technology (I&T) development by investing in developing I&T infrastructure, promoting research and development, nurturing talents and supporting industry, etc. We are steadfast in our commitment to leverage on I&T to promote societal progress and economic development. With the concerted efforts of the Government, academia, research institutions and the wider community, I believe we will have more and more success stories to share with our community, as well as outside Hong Kong.”
Professor Sham remarked, “CUHK is committed to promoting innovative scientific research, while at the same time encouraging the University’s researchers to create positive social impact through knowledge transfer, increasing well-being in society.”
A new event this year, a live broadcast of an exhibition tour, introduced CUHK’s start-ups and various innovative inventions to political, industrial, commercial and academic online guests from Beijing and Shanghai. It took place with the valuable support of the National Torch Academy of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ZGC) and the InnoPort@Shanghai (CUHK Shanghai Centre). More than 50 local secondary school students took part in another new event for this year, the Exhibition Guided Tour, promoting and enhancing young people’s understanding of and interest in innovation.
Innovation Day 2023 features more than 40 exhibitors, including innovative projects from six CUHK InnoHK centres, 21 CUHK start-ups funded by the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU), two CUHK unicorns, and other start-ups established by CUHK students and alumni. Apart from the exhibition, the day included an inter-professional symposium, bringing together scholars, legislators, policymakers and investors to explore the transformation of innovative inventions from academic institutions into products. The six CUHK InnoHK Centres also held thematic talks to introduce their innovations. In addition, 12 TSSSU companies participated in the Elevator Pitch Competition, vying for four awards.
CUHK Innovation Investment Platform brings together funds, industry experience and connections
CUHK officially announced the establishment of CUHK Innovation Limited and held a kick-off ceremony on the same day. The company is dedicated to providing early-stage funding to promising CUHK start-ups, accelerating their growth and success.
Dr Norman Chan Tak-lam, Chairman of the Board of CUHK Innovation Limited and Vice-Chairman of the CUHK’s Council, stated, “CUHK Innovation Limited is dedicated to expanding its network by collaborating with various stakeholders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem… Together, let us create a vibrant ecosystem where innovative ideas are nurtured, startups flourish, and groundbreaking solutions are born.”
CUHK Innovation Limited has established a joint investment platform in collaboration with experienced venture capitalists, venture builders and family offices to drive innovation and entrepreneurship. This diverse group brings not only the capital funding but also extensive experience and valuable connections in different fields.
CUHK Innovation Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an additional eight companies, who join the platform as co-investment partners: Fresco Capital, Gravity Capital Partners, Hong Kong AI & Data Laboratory, NDN Ventures, ParticleX, Tiger Jade Pebble Accelerator, Transcend Capital Partners and Watten Investments.
For more information about CUHK Innovation Day, please visit:
https://innovationday2023.cuhk.edu.hk/
