SUCCESS
E-newsletter
21 August 2024
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The Support and Consultation Centre for SMEs (SUCCESS) run by the Trade and Industry Department (TID) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the HKSARG) provides small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with free business information and consultation services.
Our website: https://www.success.tid.gov.hk/en_landing.html
Our email: success@tid.gov.hk
Our customer hotline:（852）2398 5133
(Service hours of hotline and counters: Monday to Friday 8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. & 1:30 p.m.-5:45 p.m., other than public holidays)
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"Four-in-One" Integrated Services of SMEs Centres
To strengthen support for SMEs and to raise SMEs' awareness of the various funding schemes and support services, the TID consolidated the services of the existing four SMEs centres, namely, the "SUCCESS" under the TID, the "SME Centre" under the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the "SME One" under the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and the "TecONE" under the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), in October 2019 to provide one-stop "Four-in-One" integrated services for SMEs. Enterprises can obtain business information, funding schemes information and advisory services, etc. at any of the centres. In addition, a web portal called "SME Link" is also established for SMEs to access information and support services provided by the four SMEs centres and government departments from a single online platform.
The Government provides over 40 funding schemes with different funding scopes, amounts and requirements to promote and support the development of enterprises and industries in Hong Kong. The "Government Funding Schemes" web page of the SME Link features information on these 40+ funding schemes, including overview and useful hyperlinks. The web page's search tool supports multiple search filters to facilitate enterprises identifying suitable funding schemes.
The "Events & Activities" of the SME Link facilitates enterprises to obtain information on activities organised by the four SMEs centres and various government departments, including seminars, workshops, exhibitions, conferences, training courses, etc., from a single platform, and also provides relevant links to facilitate registration.
What's New
"Four-in-One" Seminar Series
The four SMEs centres co-organise "Four-in-One" seminar series regularly. Themes of this seminar series in the second half of 2024 are "E-commerce", "Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)" and "Branding". Upcoming seminar and webinars under this series are listed below. Interested persons are welcome to register at the links shown therein. Admission is Free.
I. The latest market trend and opportunities of E-Commerce in Indonesia (Seminar)
(This seminar will be held at Trade and Industry Tower on 28 August 2024)
This seminar is held by the “SUCCESS” of the TID. In this seminar, an entrepreneur doing business in Indonesia is invited to provide an overview of the business opportunities of developing e-commerce in Indonesia. The speaker will also share the advantages and challenges faced by Hong Kong enterprises operating e-commerce in Indonesia, with a view to assisting SMEs to gain a deeper understanding of the development potential there and expand into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market. (This seminar will be conducted in Cantonese.)
More Details and Registration
II. T-box Workshop: Effective Brand Marketing – Strategies and Implementations (Webinar)
(This webinar will be live-streamed on 29 August 2024)
This webinar is held by the “SME Centre” of the HKTDC. In this webinar, experts will share the keys to successful branding, discuss the latest trends in digital marketing for cross-border e-commerce and provide effective strategies to strengthen brand protection and boost consumer trust. (This webinar will be conducted in Cantonese.)
More Details and Registration (in Chinese only)
III. Winning Marketing Strategies: Mastering High-Impact Digital Marketing Secrets for Maximum ROI (Webinar)
(This webinar will be live-streamed on 29 August 2024)
This webinar is held by the “SME One” of the HKPC. In this webinar, experts are invited to share insights into cost-effective digital marketing solutions, budget optimisation techniques, ESG marketing, and green tech trends. (This webinar will be conducted in Cantonese.)
More Details and Registration
SUCCESS-supported Activities
I. Trends of Carbon Pricing & How Hong Kong Enterprises Make Good Use of Green Supply Chains (Seminar)
(This seminar will be held at the CMA Building on 28 August 2024)
This seminar is organised by the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong (CMA). SUCCESS is one of the supporting organisations. This seminar will provide an overview of the recent trends and development of international trade and Mainland enterprises “going global”, as well as new policies of supply chain, carbon tax and green trade, and share success cases of “going global" in a green and low-carbon manner, with a view to exploring how Hong Kong enterprises can participate in the development of green supply chains. (This seminar will be conducted in Cantonese.)
More Details (in Chinese only)
II. Build a Secure Cyberspace 2024 “Together, We Create a Safe Cyberworld” Seminar and Tram Body Design Contest Award Ceremony
(This event will be held at the Atrium, L1, D Park on 7 September 2024)
This event is jointly organised by the Digital Policy Office, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Hong Kong Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Centre. SUCCESS is one of the supporting organisations. The event seminar will discuss how to prevent from falling into online traps in order to strengthen the public's ability to protect themselves. During the Tram Body Design Contest Award Ceremony to be held on the same day, awards will be presented to the Contest winners, recognising their active participation in promoting cybersecurity and their outstanding designs. (This event will be conducted in Cantonese.)
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SIE Fund invites institutions/organisations to submit proposals for implementation of Digital Inclusion Programme for the Elderlies
The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) Task Force on 16 August 2024 invited proposals from institutions/organisations that are interested in taking forward the Digital Inclusion Programme for the Elderlies.
In order to help the elderly integrate into the digital era and enjoy the benefits brought about by digital technologies, the Government announced in the 2024-25 Budget that the SIE Fund would allocate $100 million to implement the Digital Inclusion Programme for the Elderlies in the coming three years for the elderly aged 60 or above. The programme aims at setting up community-based help desks at suitable locations (e.g. community centres) in various districts to provide regular and fixed-point training on digital technologies and technical support for the elderly, particularly singleton or doubleton elderly living in older districts and public housing. The programme covers topics on smartphone operation, the use of digital government services (e.g. "iAM Smart" and other common government mobile applications) and cyber security, etc, to enhance the elderly's capability in adopting digital technologies.
In addition to providing basic support services, the institutions/organisations engaged for the programme are required to implement the project with innovative approaches, for example, engaging young people to, through employment or volunteer work, make good use of their digital knowledge to help the elderly enhance their knowledge and adoption of digital technologies, and establishing community help desks by creating environments familiar to the elderly (such as café, traditional Chinese restaurant) to help them adapt more easily.
The SIE Fund has prepared the invitation brief setting out the scope of intermediary services, eligibility, assessment criteria and points to note for submitting proposals, as well as key engagement terms. Interested institutions/organisations can download the invitation brief and designated proforma at the SIE Fund website (www.sie.gov.hk/en/what-we-do/digital_inclusion_programme_for_the_elderlies.html). All submitted documents must be placed in a sealed envelope clearly marked with "The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund – Proposal for the Digital Inclusion Programme for the Elderlies", and must reach the Digital Policy Office at 14/F, Treasury Building, 3 Tonkin Street West, Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon, at or before 6pm on 13 September 2024 (Friday). For further information and inquiries, please visit the SIE Fund website or contact the SIE Fund Task Force Secretariat at 2165 7261.
The SIE Fund was inaugurated in 2013 and is overseen by the SIE Fund Task Force under the Commission on Poverty. The Task Force Secretariat is established in the Digital Policy Office under the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau. The SIE Fund acts as a catalyst for social innovation in Hong Kong. By facilitating social innovation and cultivating social entrepreneurship, the Fund aims to make an impact in alleviating poverty and social exclusion, promote social integration as well as enhance the well-being and cohesion of society.
For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202408/16/P2024081500393.htm.
Hong Kong, China wins again in APEC Energy Smart Communities Initiative Best Practices Awards Program
The Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Poon Kwok-ying, attended the award ceremony of the sixth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Smart Communities Initiative (ESCI) Best Practices Awards Program in Lima, Peru on 13 August 2024 (Peru time). This year’s Program comprised 10 awards, and a total of 62 projects from 13 APEC member economies participated in the selection. Hong Kong, China won one gold and two silver awards among the 10 awards this year, winning again after it won an award in 2022.
Mr Poon attended the award ceremony to receive the awards and said, “The three awards won in two categories not only acknowledge Hong Kong, China’s efforts in smart residential communities but also serve as a reminder to persist in our commitment to fostering innovation and technology to meet our carbon neutrality goal.”
The three winning projects by Hong Kong, China are:
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Power-hawk Inspector: a drone-based power grid defect inspector with embedded artificial intelligence (AI) using few-shot learning and federated learning, by the HKPC, received the gold award in the Smart Grids category.
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E&M AI Lab: Driving Digital Transformation in Building Facilities Management, by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), received the silver award in the Smart Buildings category.
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Renewable Energy and Retired EV Battery Solution for Smart Grid Integration, by the HKPC, received the silver award in the Smart Grids category
The APEC Energy Working Group initiated the ESCI in 2010, and launched the biennial APEC ESCI Best Practices Awards in 2013, to recognise exemplary community-level projects that integrate renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies for sustainable development in the APEC region. A gold award and a silver award are selected from each of the five categories: Smart Transport, Smart Buildings, Smart Grids, Smart Jobs and Consumers, and Low Carbon Model Towns. In 2022, a joint project by the EMSD and the Hong Kong Green Building Council won the gold award in the Smart Jobs and Consumers category. For more information about the ESCI, please visit www.esci-ksp.org.
For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202408/14/P2024081400209.htm.
HKMA and Cyberport launch GenA.I. Sandbox to bolster AI adoption in financial sector
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited (Cyberport), announced the launch of the new Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenA.I.) Sandbox on 13 August 2024 at FiNETech2, the second edition of the FiNETech series.
Building on the momentum of the first successful inaugural event in April 2024 (Note 1), the HKMA, the Cyberport and the FinTech Association of Hong Kong co-hosted "FiNETech2 – Into the AI verse", highlighting the transformative potential of AI in the financial industry. Supported by financial regulators (Note 2), industry associations (Note 3) as well as technology communities (Note 4), and powered by market experts (Note 5), FiNETech2 brought together over 300 professionals from the banking, securities, insurance, and technology sectors. By nurturing partnerships between financial institutions and AI solution providers, FiNETech2 showcased innovative AI technologies and explored potential applications in risk management, anti-fraud, customer services and process re-engineering.
During the event, the HKMA announced the launch of the new GenA.I. Sandbox. Through interactive engagement with the industry, the HKMA will draw insights from the GenA.I. Sandbox (Note 6) and share good practices, while keeping its guidance relevant and fit-for-purpose in the light of the latest development.
The Chief Executive of the HKMA, Mr Eddie Yue, said, "The new GenA.I. Sandbox is a pioneering initiative that promotes responsible innovation in GenA.I. across the banking industry. It will empower banks to pilot their novel GenA.I. use cases within a risk-managed framework, supported by essential technical assistance and targeted supervisory feedback. Banks are encouraged to make full use of this resource to unlock the power of GenA.I. in enhancing effective risk management, anti-fraud efforts and customer experience."
To adapt to the forthcoming changes, the HKMA is committed to capacity building and promoting responsible innovation in GenA.I., including a recent training session which was attended by over 120 financial professionals, focusing on practical AI adoption strategies in the financial industry. The HKMA is also conducting case studies on the latest international development of AI, including GenA.I., and will share good practices to encourage adoption.
The HKMA will organise additional editions of FiNETech in the coming months, focusing on the areas of Greentech and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), and continue to drive tangible progress in Fintech adoption by banks and other financial institutions.
Note 1: www.hkma.gov.hk/eng/news-and-media/press-releases/2024/04/20240426-4/
Note 2: The HKMA, the Securities and Futures Commission, the Insurance Authority and the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority.
Note 3: The Hong Kong Association of Banks and the FinTech Association of Hong Kong.
Note 4: Cyberport and the HKSTP.
Note 5: KPMG and Quinlan & Associates.
Note 6: Details of the GenA.I. Sandbox, including eligibility criteria and application process, will be announced in due course.
For relevant press release, please visit https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202408/13/P2024081300265.htm.
Topical Issues
Support Measures relating to Liquidity
In view of the cash-flow pressure of SMEs, SUCCESS has compiled a summary of support measures relating to liquidity.
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SME ReachOut
“SME ReachOut”, a dedicated service team operated by HKPC, has commenced operation since 1 January 2020 to enhance SMEs’ understanding of the Government’s funding schemes, with a view to encouraging better utilisation of the support provided by the Government. The team would help SMEs identify funding schemes that suit their needs, and answer questions relating to applications.
The Government has allocated $100 million to HKPC to gradually enhance the services of “SME ReachOut” in the ensuing five years starting from 2023. HKPC has enhanced the services of “SME ReachOut” in October 2023, including arranging visits to more chambers of commerce, commercial and industrial buildings and co-working spaces, and increasing the publicity in social media so as to step up the promotion of government funding schemes. At the same time, more one-on-one consultation sessions will be provided to assist SMEs in applying for government funding and building their capacities, focusing on areas such as ESG, technology transformation, digitalisation and cyber security, with a view to enhancing their competitiveness through leveraging new technologies.
For further information or enquiries on “SME ReachOut”, please contact “SME ReachOut” Hotline / WhatsApp (Text Message Only) at 2788 6868 or email by sme_reachout@hkpc.org or visit https://smereachout.hkpc.org/en.
Dedicated Fund on Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales (BUD Fund)
“E-commerce Easy” was launched on 15 July 2024, under which enterprises can flexibly make use of a maximum funding of $1 million within their funding ceiling to implement electronic commerce (e-commerce) projects, to further assist them in exploring the Mainland domestic sales market. Unlike general applications of the BUD Fund, items under “E-commerce Easy” projects are not subject to individual funding caps, so that more targeted support can be provided to enterprises.
The HKPC as the BUD Fund implementation partner regularly organises seminars/webinars in order to enhance enterprises’ understanding of the BUD Fund, including “E-commerce Easy” and “Easy BUD”. For more details of the BUD Fund, please visit its website (www.bud.hkpc.org/en) or contact the HKPC at 2788 6088.
Corruption Prevention Advisory Service (CPAS) of ICAC
A good governance system is vital for SMEs' effective operation, and can help sustain their company image and hence counterparts' confidence in doing business with them. The Corruption Prevention Department of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has launched the Corruption Prevention Advisory Service (CPAS). The CPAS is a specialised unit dedicated to providing tailor-made, free and confidential corruption prevention advice on system control in common business areas such as procurement and staff administration. Enterprises can access its user-friendly web portal (https://cpas.icac.hk/EN/) for details of the services and to get timely and useful resources on corruption prevention such as staff code of conduct, corruption prevention guides and tools, case studies, quick tips and red flags. To receive regular updates on corruption prevention, please click here to subscribe to the CPAS e-news.
Free IP Consultation Service
The IPD, supported by the Law Society of Hong Kong, now provides FREE One-On-One IP Consultation Service for SMEs. To obtain more information and/or apply for the Service, please visit IPD's dedicated website "Hong Kong – Regional IP Trading Centre": https://ip.gov.hk/en/home/consultation-service/index.html.
Business News
GDETO Newsletter
The latest issue of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong (GDETO) Newsletter has been published.
More Details (in Chinese only)
Commercial Information Circulars (CICs) of the Mainland
The TID issued a number of Commercial Information Circulars (CICs) on the Mainland's trade and economic rules and regulations. The latest CICs have been published.
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