The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr John Lee, officiated at the Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund (EMSTF) 25th Anniversary Commemorative Ceremony today (August 11).

     The ceremony was held at the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) Headquarters under the theme of "Co-innovate and Co-create Our Future", which signifies that the EMSTF will strive ahead together with its clients, members of the trade and other stakeholders, passing on its wisdom and culture while unlocking unlimited possibilities for the future, with an aim to obtaining greater achievements.

     Addressing the ceremony, Mr Lee said that the EMSTF has always been a role model for the industry and the Innovation Facilitator of the Government. The EMSTF's financial performance over the past 25 years has been satisfactory, and there has been a steady growth of business. The overall revenue in the 2020/21 financial year increased significantly by more than threefold as compared with that in the early years. He expected the EMSTF to maintain the spirit of serving the public as the top priority, utilise innovation and technology (I&T) applications to help integrate Hong Kong into the national development, as well as to strengthen collaboration with cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in electrical and mechanical (E&M) training and I&T to open up more development opportunities for younger generations.

     Also speaking at the ceremony, the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Eric Pang, said that the EMSTF transformed from a traditional government department into an E&M service provider facing open market competition. It has been operating its business with agility and creativity and has been fully committed to enhancing the quality of its services. The EMSTF promotes and supports the application of I&T in client departments as well as various smart city initiatives, with a view to bringing benefits and convenience to the public. The EMSTF will strive to enhance the application of I&T and deepen the digitalisation of E&M asset management, which will benefit both EMSTF customers and the public.

     Also attending the ceremony were the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing; the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan; the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit; the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Lam Sai-hung; the Under Secretary for Development, Mr Liu Chun-san; and the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Ye Shuiqiu.

     The guests launched the Global AI Challenge for Building E&M Facilities, an event jointly organised by the EMSD and the Guangdong Provincial Association for Science and Technology and supported by the Innovation and Technology Bureau and the Department of International Affairs of the China Association for Science and Technology. The event aims to promote the application of semantic artificial intelligence (AI) in existing E&M systems of buildings. Activities include an AI contest, a pre-contest workshop and an international forum. 

     The guests also officiated at the opening of the new E&M InnoFoyer located at the ground floor of the EMSD Headquarters. The E&M InnoFoyer showcases an array of award-winning, E&M-related I&T projects that are closely related to the daily lives of people, demonstrating how I&T applications help create a safe and energy-efficient smart living environment. The E&M InnoFoyer is open to the public.

Ends/Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Issued at HKT 19:02

NNNN