InnoCarnival 2022 exhibits scientific research achievements to offer taste of innovation and technology in daily life (with photos)
******************************************************************************************
Organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC), InnoCarnival 2022 (IC 2022), as one of the celebration events of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), is being held from today (October 22) to October 30 with the theme of “Innovation and technology empower our dreams”. This year’s carnival consists of both physical and online events, featuring a number of physical exhibits of local innovation and technology (I&T) achievements at the Hong Kong Science Park, and a series of webinars and online workshops. During IC 2022, City I&T Grand Challenge: The Showcase will also be held to reveal to the public for trial for the first time the prototypes of winning solutions of the first City I&T Grand Challenge.
Officiating at the opening ceremony of InnoCarnival 2022, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said that I&T are key drivers which foster economic innovation, accelerate the speed of development and expand development capacity. They are the determining factors of the future rise and fall of economies across the world. The Policy Address announced by the Chief Executive this week stated that to chart Hong Kong in moving full steam towards our vision of an international I&T centre, the Government will promulgate the Hong Kong I&T Development Blueprint within this year and proactively compete for enterprises and talents, so as to boost the flourishing development in I&T industry.
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation are campaign partners of the IC 2022. The event is supported by 54 partners, including seven universities, five research and development centres, 11 government departments and 31 organisations. During the carnival, 37 physical booths are set up at the Hong Kong Science Park, showcasing a series of I&T achievements and interactive games, together with around 145 online workshops covering a wide range of I&T topics (including parent-child workshops) and about 40 webinars, with the aim of showing the public the importance of I&T in people’s daily lives, and inspiring the younger generation to pursue knowledge and cultivate interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
As the country recruits payload specialists in the HKSAR for the first time, an aerospace showcase will be featured in IC 2022. Precision space instruments used in the country’s space exploration missions, which were locally developed and fabricated by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, will be exhibited.
Furthermore, City I&T Grand Challenge: The Showcase is also staged during IC 2022. Prototypes from the Showcase developed by 25 winners in the university/tertiary institute and open groups were revealed to the public at IC 2022 for the first time through real-life scenarios, including an elderly home and restaurant, where a trial of the prototypes is available. The City I&T Grand Challenge was launched in December 2020 under the theme of “Innovating for Hong Kong’s New Normal”. It invited different sectors of the community to develop I&T solutions focusing on environmental sustainability and social connectivity, with a view to blending I&T in people’s daily lives and inspiring a passionate I&T atmosphere. The competition underwent multiple stages last year to select winners in the primary school, secondary school, university/tertiary institute and open groups. Twenty-five winners in the university/tertiary institute and open groups received support from the ITC. After over half a year’s training and continuous refinement of their I&T solutions, the winning teams have successfully transformed their ideas in the City I&T Grand Challenge into prototypes for trials at over 50 organisations and community groups since July this year, involving more than 4 260 end users so far.
Speaking at the media tour of the City I&T Grand Challenge: The Showcase today, the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Ms Rebecca Pun, said that she was delighted to see winners had made use of technology to realise their innovative ideas. It marked an important milestone in their innovation journey to put their research and development results to use in the community and benefit members of the public. It was also one of the objectives for the ITC to organise the City I&T Grand Challenge.
All IC 2022 activities are free of charge. Some of the activities require preregistration. Details are available at the thematic webpage (innocarnival.hk). Members of the public are most welcome to join.
