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A two-month festival will be launched today (October 14) to inspire life-long interest in innovation and technology among Hong Kong's young generation and to promote Hong Kong as a ¡§City of Innovation¡¨.
Themed ¡§Youth Inspires - City of Innovation¡¨, the Innovation Festival 2006 seeks to enhance the young generation's interest, knowledge and aspirations in innovation and technology. It is organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) with The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups as the festival partner.
Officiating at the launch ceremony today at the Millennium City 5 (apm) in Kwun Tong , the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr Joseph WP Wong, said he was delighted with the overwhelming response to last year's inaugural innovation festival.
¡§To build on the success of the inaugural event and further promote innovation and technology among the public, the festival this year will reach out further at the community level. We will have a series of interactive programmes including ¡¥My Favourite Inventions for Quality Living¡¦ (MFI) Competition; roadshows featuring finalist entries of the MFI Competition and more than 120 sessions of design and technology DIY workshops in popular shopping malls and other hot spots across Hong Kong; and a youth innovation exhibition,¡¨ Mr Wong said.
¡§These fun-filled and innovative activities will actively engage the participation of young people, spanning from kindergarten children to students of higher education institutes.
¡§We also emphasise the need to nurture our young innovative talent in a sustainable manner. Today, we see the formal inception of the Hong Kong Youth Innovation Club jointly organised by the ITC and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups,¡¨ he said.
Members of the club are students from tertiary educational institutes or secondary schools who have previously won contests for innovation and technological inventions. The club will organise regular activities, such as visits to research institutes and meetings with prominent scientists, for its members to further develop their interest and knowledge in innovation and technology.
ITC has also co-operated with the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute and Nano and Advanced Materials Institute to launch the Junior Fellowship Programme and Research Experience for Talented Students Programme where students gained hands-on research experience during their summer vacation under the guidance of experienced experts of the two R&D institutions.
The Executive Director of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Dr Rosanna Wong, echoed the need to provide a platform to sustain and nurture young people¡¦s interest in science and technology.
She was glad to see that the Hong Kong Youth Innovation Club could network with the winners of science competitions. It offered them an opportunity to share and contribute through participation.
The Innovation Festival 2006 will run from October 14 to December 2. A wide range of activities will be featured to enable youngsters to explore and enjoy the fun of innovation and technology.
The activities include the ¡§My Favourite Inventions for Quality Living Competition 2006¡¨, a series of roadshows, interactive DIY workshops and seminar for the public in various locations across Hong Kong, as well as the Youth Innovation Exhibition to be held at the Hong Kong Science Museum.
Admission is free for all of these activities. For programme details and registration, please visit www.innotech.gov.hk or contact the festival partner - The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups on 3579 4560.
Ends/Saturday, October 14, 2006
Issued at HKT 12:21
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