According to a recent press release, the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) led 28 Park companies to showcase their latest innovations for healthy ageing at the HKSTP Pavilion in the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES) 2018.
The event was co-hosted by the HKSAR Government and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and co-organised by HKSTP, the four-day-event is held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from towards the end of November 2018.
Comprising Science Park, InnoCentre and Industrial Estates, Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is a statutory body dedicated to building a vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem to connect stakeholders, nurture technology talents, facilitate collaboration, and catalyse innovations to deliver social and economic benefits to Hong Kong and the region.
Established in May 2001, HKSTP has been driving the development of Hong Kong into a regional hub for innovation and growth in several focused clusters including Electronics, Information & Communications Technology, Green Technology, Biomedical Technology, Materials and Precision Engineering.
The Science & Tech park enables science and technology companies to nurture ideas, innovate and grow, supported by its R&D facilities, infrastructure, and market-led laboratories and technical centres with professional support services.
The Park also offers value-added services and comprehensive incubation programmes for technology start-ups to accelerate their growth.
The expo was themed “Inno Living. Happy Ageing” and the HKSTP Pavilion featured ground-breaking devices, supplies, apps and systems developed by the Park companies that can improve the quality of life for the elderly.
The innovative solutions blend cross-disciplinary technologies such as early diagnostics, assistive technologies, rehabilitation, wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) and robotics. These products offer practical solutions for personalised home-based care and elderly care treatment and services.
More than 10 companies will also participate in the HKSTP Forum: Gerontech Applications in Residential Care Homes to share their experience in developing elderly care solutions for seniors and carers, as well as their views on the market trends in gerontech.
The Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit 2018 showcased the best of cross-disciplinary, technology-based solutions that address the needs of Hong Kong’s growing ageing population.
The officiating guests at the opening ceremony were the Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR Government; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government; the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service; Chief Executive Officer of HKSTP; the Steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club; the Board of Director, China Merchants Charitable Foundation.
Healthy ageing, one of the areas of strength of Hong Kong’s innovation and technology sector, is also HKSTP’s technology focus area. Hong Kong Science Park is currently home to more than 100 international and local biomedical technology companies.
The aim is to provide better services to Hong Kong’s elderly population through the application of new and innovative technology solutions.
By co-organising, the GIES, HKSTP hopes to have intimate dialogues and collaborations with elderly care providers and professionals, academia and the commercial sector to drive the collective development of technology-based solutions and applications and make Hong Kong an elderly-friendly smart city.
Technology businesses benefit from HKSTP’s specialised services and infrastructure at Science Park for applied research and product development; enterprises can find creative design support at InnoCentre; while skill-intensive businesses are served by its three industrial estates at Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long.