The Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, paid a visit to elderly persons receiving community care services, met with District Council members and chatted with start-ups at a co-working space, Smart-Space 8, during his visit to Tsuen Wan District today (January 15).

Mr Yang started his visit at Yan Chai Hospital Chan Feng Men Ling Integrated Community Development Centre. Joining him were the Vice Chairman of the Tsuen Wan District Council (TWDC), Mr Wong Wai-kit, and the District Officer (Tsuen Wan), Miss Jenny Yip. The centre offers various day care services and training for the elderly. In addition to watching elderly persons receiving rehabilitation treatment like hand-eye co-ordination training drills, Mr Yang also participated in an agility training activity.

As the Chinese New Year is around the corner, Mr Yang extended his regards to the elderly and wished them good health and happiness in the year ahead. Mr Yang also expressed his festive-season care by offering them scarves and beanies made with an innovative spinning technique developed by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel. Blended with yak yarn, the knitwear has a soft hand feel and better air permeability and heat retention.

The Yan Chai Hospital Social Services Department received funding from the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer under the ICT Outreach Programme for the Elderly to provide reminiscence therapy with the aid of virtual reality games and cognitive training for the elderly. Mr Yang encouraged organisations to utilise government digital inclusion initiatives to enhance the quality of life for the elderly and promote healthy ageing.

Mr Yang then met with members of the TWDC to exchange views on innovation and technology matters and district affairs.

The last stop of the district visit was Smart-Space 8, operated by Cyberport under the Space Sharing Scheme for Youth. It is also Cyberport's first off-site co-working space outside its Pok Fu Lam campus. Occupying an area of about 20 000 square feet, Smart-Space 8 is leased to young start-ups in digital technology at concessionary rent. In addition, Cyberport provides them with various training and support services in entrepreneurship. Mr Yang took the chance to meet and exchange views with these start-up teams in various fields including artificial intelligence, financial technology, e-sports, e-commerce and education technology.

Mr Yang said that with concerted efforts, Hong Kong's start-up ecosystem has been gaining momentum over the past few years. The number of start-ups reached 2 625 in 2018, up 18 per cent year on year. He added that he is glad that Cyberport has strengthened its public mission programmes with the additional resources from the Government to provide more comprehensive support for start-ups. This includes raising the funding support under the Cyberport Incubation Programme from $330,000 to $500,000 and launching the Overseas/Mainland Market Development Support Scheme to offer a financial subsidy of $200,000 to start-ups for conducting market research and promotion, participating in trade fairs outside Hong Kong and expanding into overseas markets.

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