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A five-day Expo showcasing the latest achievements of Hong Kong in innovation, technology and design began today (September 14) at Hall 1 of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The "Innovation Expo 07" features more than 100 exhibitors from local universities, research and development(R&D) organisations, industry support organisations, technology and design enterprises and technology education organisations.
There will also be more than 20 informative seminars on various topics related to innovation and technology, 50 DesignTech Workshops targeted at youngsters, and attempts to set two world records: "The Highest Number of Lego Robots in a Tug-of-War" and "The Highest Number of Students Making Lego Robots Together".
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, said the Government had been actively promoting innovation and technology by putting in place funding programmes and infrastructural support.
"They include the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF), the Hong Kong Science Park, Cyberport and five Research and Development Centres, to promote applied R&D and technology upgrading in the industry," he said.
"With the Government's strong commitment and concerted efforts by the academic sector and the industry, we have seen a growing awareness on the importance of innovation, technology and design in the business sector.
"Looking ahead, we will continue to promote the development of innovation and technology, strengthen Hong Kong's role as a technology servicing hub in the region and contribute in building an innovative nation," Mr Tsang said.
Also officiating at the opening ceremony with Mr Tsang were the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Frederick Ma, Acting Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development (Communications and Technology), Mr Alan Siu, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Anthony Wong, and Executive Director of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Dr Rosanna Wong.
The exhibition has six thematic zones - Technology Parade, State Key Labs, Hong Kong's R&D Centres, Design Focus, Young Innovators and Mainland Technology Achievements.
The local exhibitors - from students to researchers and designers - are showing their achievements in innovation, technology and design in their respective area of expertise.
With the support of the State Ministry of Science and Technology, visitors at the Expo will see a large-scale model of the Three Gorges Dam, a major engineering project in the Mainland. The nine provinces in the Pan-Pearl River Delta and the Macau Special Administrative Region will also showcase their technology achievements in the Mainland zone.
The excitement will continue with the FIRST Tech Challenge Game 2007 to be held tomorrow (September 15). Students from 25 local secondary schools will design and assemble a robot to accomplish the demanding tasks specified by the organiser during the competition. They will be judged on the applications of creativity, innovation and communications.
Attempts on Sunday (September 16) by the primary students to set the new world records are also highlights of the expo. More than 100 primary students are expected to participate in the attempts to set the two records by constructing 100 Lego robots for a tug-of-war.
Visitors to the expo are invited to vote for their "Most Wanted Technology Breakthrough" from a list of 10 technology breakthroughs identified from almost 300 wishes collected during the Innovation Festival's opening roadshow held last month. Winners will be announced at a roadshow of Innovation Festival in Taikoo Shing on October 5.
The expo is supported by many renowned technology enterprises as major sponsors, including PCCW, VTech, Wong's International (Holdings) Limited, Surface Mount Technology (Holdings) Limited, Global Digital Imaging Ltd and Johnson Electric.
The "Innovation Expo 07" is one of the major celebration programmes of the 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It is also a part of the 10-week "Innovation Festival 07", organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission with the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) as festival partner. It aims at enhancing public awareness of Hong Kong's achievements in innovation, technology and design and promoting their interest in these areas.
Admission to all festival activities is free. For details of the "Innovation Festival 07" and pre-registration for workshops, please visit www.innotech.gov.hk or contact HKFYG on 3579 4560.
Ends/Friday, September 14, 2007
Issued at HKT 12:00
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