For Hong Kong’s innovators, the path to success begins with solving a common problem
- The first step towards becoming a successful innovator is identifying a community issue that needs new solutions, local experts say
- Hong Kong’s City I&T Grand Challenge offers the opportunity to develop innovative ideas that address challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic
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With the Covid-19 pandemic creating new changes and challenges in daily life, it has become essential to find innovative solutions to help everyone live in a more connected, efficient and sustainable way. Hong Kong is a prime place in which to seek those ideas.
Home to more than 3,360 start-ups, the city is known as a regional innovation and technology (I&T) hub thanks to its strong research capabilities, abundance of talent and business-friendly policies.
Its advantages do not end there. The Hong Kong government has identified I&T as a key future economic driver and allocated more than HK$100 billion (US$12.86 billion) to the sector in recent years. The city is also in a prime position to capitalise on the opportunities arising from the Greater Bay Area, an economically vibrant area spanning nine mainland cities, Hong Kong and Macau.
The competition also aims to enhance Hong Kong’s innovative culture by providing a series of workshops and seminars to promote technological innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in the city.
The competition calls on people to “Be an Innovator” by seeking entries under two themes: environmental sustainability and social connectivity. It is supported by Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), which will offer winning participants the resources and support to further develop their ideas.
The competition is open to primary, secondary and tertiary students, as well as the general public. People based outside of Hong Kong are also eligible to enter, in order to add perspectives from around the world.
Dr Crystal Fok, director of the AIR (artificial intelligence and robotics) platform and precision engineering at HKSTP, said: “If you are the one facing the problem, you may have an idea of how to solve it. We hope to collect many good ideas from different people.”
She added that if an idea is able to solve a problem in Hong Kong, it can likely be applied in other parts of the world. At the same time, other countries have expertise in different areas, so it makes sense to gather innovative ideas worldwide for the competition to try to solve these problems together.
What makes a successful innovator
According to George Chen, CEO of Ecoinno, a green tech start-up based at Hong Kong Science Park that produces plant-based coffee capsules and food containers, the first step towards becoming an innovator is to identify a problem that needs a solution. He added that the pandemic has created numerous opportunities for young people to come up with innovative solutions.
“Innovation is about seeing things differently and looking at how we can improve something – whether it is an experience or a product,” he said. “You’ve got to have a dream first, and then see things outside of the box.”
But Chen pointed out that being an innovator involves more than just coming up with a new concept – it requires finding resources and working through obstacles to turn that idea into reality. “You need to have full engagement and full commitment,” he added.
Fok believes a collaborative spirit is essential for innovators, as developing new ideas usually requires working in a team. They should also be open to listening to feedback to help improve their concepts.
“To be a good innovator is to be open-minded, and to accept opinions from others, no matter if they are positive or negative,” Fok said.
She added that successful innovators must be determined. “The key is to never give up. If you give up, nothing will happen. But if you take one step and then one step further, your idea will become an innovation in the future. The idea may change, but you still make it happen.”
Chen’s advice for aspiring innovators is to never lose sight of the fact that they are developing ideas to make people’s lives better. To achieve that, kindness should be at the centre of all their work.
He believes Hong Kong is the ideal base for entrepreneurs because innovation is part of the city’s DNA. “We recognise problems, we find a better way to do things, and then we let it go and move on to the next cycle,” he said.
Competition tips for new innovators
People interested in entering the City I&T Grand Challenge should start by identifying a problem that needs to be addressed in the community, Fok advised. “For an innovation to be classified as a good one, you have to be solving a problem,” she said.
She added that the next step is to do research to understand the problem as well as the target audience that would benefit from the solution. “Don’t just think within your own mindset – try to talk more to other people to make your idea more concrete.”
She also encouraged people to get together with others to develop their ideas further. “Usually, innovation comes not just from one person and one idea. Good innovation is actually a joint effort from different people.”
Chen advised people to think of innovation as a process. “It is not just coming up with a concept – you need to think about where you will begin, what you want to accomplish and how you will get there. You need to use this framework for the competition,” he said.
He also urged people not to hold back from entering the challenge: “Join it, be involved, don’t just talk about it. Don’t say it is not your job. Be part of it.”
Fok is optimistic that the ideas that emerge from the competition entries will help make Hong Kong society better – not just during the pandemic, but also in the years beyond.
“The value of the City I&T Grand Challenge is to push I&T development, to improve the quality of life in Hong Kong, and to bring convenience and benefits to the public,” she said. “We describe it as an I&T marathon.”