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Following is the speech by the Financial Secretary, Mr John C Tsang, at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design Annual Show 2009 at InnoCentre, Kowloon Tong, this afternoon (May 29):
Professor Ko, Professor Justice, Distinguished Guests, Students, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon.
I am delighted to join you today. It is always my pleasure to see the creativity and excellence of our young designers.
The Annual Show of the School of Design has once again exceeded expectations. I congratulate the Polytechnic University on continuing to provide an excellent environment for our young designers to thrive.
This year marks the 45th Anniversary of the School of Design. Since its establishment the school has emerged as one of the top design schools in Asia. This is testament to the high quality teaching, as well as the design talent that the school has been able to nurture all these years.
The annual show gives us a chance to appreciate the achievements of the School over the past year. From the more than 200 design projects on display, I am confident that there is a bright future for creative industries in Hong Kong. This is an important area for us as Hong Kong continues to develop at a rapid pace.
The Government will continue to work closely with academia as well as industries to provide a positive environment for designers in our city.
We have various initiatives to help groom design talents. These include the DesignSmart Initiative, which was launched in 2004 with an allocation of $250 million. DesignSmart promotes collaboration between the business and design sectors as well as design research, continuous education and general support. This venue, the InnoCentre, is a project successfully delivered under the DesignSmart Initiative for the design community.
One of the key DesignSmart roles is to recognise young and upcoming talent. The annual Hong Kong Young Design Talent Awards seeks out people with proven design capabilities. The winners receive financial support for further education and training opportunities at renowned institutions around the world.
The awards also inspire young designers, such as yourselves, to develop their talents, expand their horizons and further raise the standard of their work.
In addition, the Government has been providing funding support to the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) to further its work in design promotion. With our support, the HKDC has been organising professional training courses, workshops and study tours for design students and practitioners. It also provides training opportunities outside the formal curricula.
One final point. Last year, we set up The Task Force on Economic Challenges to help us prepare for recovery. The task force recently identified six new areas with the potential to become future pillar industries for our economy. This includes cultural and creative industries. The Government will continue to develop our creative economy and provide more opportunities for our designers on the national and international stage. We will have a strong presence at the World Expo in Shanghai next year, providing an opportunity to promote the "Designed in Hong Kong" brand to a global audience.
It only remains for me to thank Professor Justice for inviting me to join you today. I wish you all an enjoyable annual show and every success in your design careers.
Thank you.
Ends/Friday, May 29, 2009
Issued at HKT 15:50
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