Latest News and Events

Latest News and Events

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 53rd meeting

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 53rd meeting

31/01/2024

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 53rd meeting on 31 January 2024.  Please refer to the press release for more information.

Social Innovation Carnival held to showcase SIE Fund's 10 years of achievements

Social Innovation Carnival held to showcase SIE Fund's 10 years of achievements

24-26/11/2023

2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund). Since earlier in the year, the Fund has been rolling out a series of activities and inviting members of the public to take part in reviewing its work and looking into the future. As the highlight of the promotional activities celebrating the Fund’s 10th anniversary, the Social Innovation Carnival was held at the Central Market from 24 to 26, November 2023, with the theme of "Innovate to Create Impact for Poverty Alleviation".

The Efficiency Office Volunteer Team - Distribution of “Love Rice Boxes”
  • Voluntary Work

The Efficiency Office Volunteer Team - Distribution of “Love Rice Boxes”

15/10/2023

On 15 October 2023, the Efficiency Office Volunteer Team collaborated with social enterprise Gingko House to show our love and care to people in need.

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 52nd meeting

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 52nd meeting

22/09/2023

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 52nd meeting on 22 September 2023.  Please refer to the press release for more information.

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 51st meeting

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 51st meeting

28/06/2023

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 51st meeting on 28 June 2023.  Please refer to the press release for more information.

SIE Fund invites proposals for the Venture Building Initiative

SIE Fund invites proposals for the Venture Building Initiative

17/04/2023

Subsequent to an earlier exercise for inviting expression of interest for implementing the Venture Building Initiative (VBI), the SIE Fund plans to launch the initiative in the second half of 2023. Suitable organisation(s) will be engaged to assist social ventures in building collaborative network, particularly through introducing the rich resources and expertise from business sectors/ investors, to help social ventures grow, thereby fostering sustainable development of the social innovation ecosystem and bring about greater social impact.

The Efficiency Office participates in InnoEX 2023

The Efficiency Office participates in InnoEX 2023

12-15/04/2023

The Efficiency Office participated as one of the exhibitors in the Smart Hong Kong Pavilion of InnoEX 2023 held from 12 to 15 April 2023 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to introduce the “Be the Smart Regulator” (BTSR) and the “Streamlining of Government Services” (SGS) Programmes, as well as the services provided by 1823.

SIE Fund appoints the third batch of intermediaries to launch a new round of innovative programmes

SIE Fund appoints the third batch of intermediaries to launch a new round of innovative programmes

22/03/2023

The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) has recently appointed four organisations as the third batch of intermediaries to launch a new round of innovative programmes to provide support for more social entrepreneurs, thereby fostering the continuous development of the social innovation ecosystem. The four intermediaries appointed are Fullness Social Enterprises Society Ltd, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, MakerBay Foundation Limited and Oxfam Hong Kong. It is expected that the four intermediaries will fund and incubate more than 240 innovative projects during the three-year engagement period. More information about their innovative programmes can be found on the SIE Fund website.

1823 Exchanging views on Application of Artificial Intelligence with Centre for Perceptual and Interactive Intelligence (CPII)
  • Promotion of I&T Adoption in the Government
  • 1823

1823 Exchanging views on Application of Artificial Intelligence with Centre for Perceptual and Interactive Intelligence (CPII)

15/03/2023

1823, under the Efficiency Office, has been striving to enhance service quality by adopting various innovation and technology solutions, such as introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot to provide information for simple enquiries and handle service requests, and launching the revamped Tell me@1823 mobile app for the public to use 1823 services anytime and anywhere. The Commissioner for Efficiency, Mr Ivan Lee, together with 1823 colleagues visited the CPII of CUHK InnoHK again on 15 March 2023 to exchange views with Professor Helen Meng on how the latest AI technology can be applied in 1823 to provide better service for the public.

SIE Fund fosters cross-generation digital inclusion

SIE Fund fosters cross-generation digital inclusion

15/03/2023

The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) has funded four innovative projects seeking to promote inter-generational digital inclusion by engaging young people to make good use of their digital knowledge to help the elderly understand and use digital technologies, and at the same time foster inter-generational harmony and enhance social cohesion.

The Efficiency Office Volunteer Team – Participated in “Model and Capacity Building for Intergenerational Digital Literacy Training for Older Adults in Hong Kong” and assisted in promoting inter-generational digital inclusion
  • Voluntary Work

The Efficiency Office Volunteer Team – Participated in “Model and Capacity Building for Intergenerational Digital Literacy Training for Older Adults in Hong Kong” and assisted in promoting inter-generational digital inclusion

04/03/2023

The Efficiency Office Volunteer Team turned out for a meaningful event again on 4 March 2023. We participated in the “Model and Capacity Building for Intergenerational Digital Literacy Training for Older Adults in Hong Kong”, a digital training activity for the elderly organised by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Research Centre for Gerontology and Family Studies, as Young Teaching Assistants to support tutors in teaching senior participants to use digital wallet mobile applications.

Secondary school students gain workplace experience through “Job Shadowing” supported by the Efficiency Office
  • Job Shadowing

Secondary school students gain workplace experience through “Job Shadowing” supported by the Efficiency Office

03/03/2023

For another year, the Efficiency Office (EffO) continued to support the programme of the Junior Achievement Hong Kong and helped 20 students from True Light Girls’ College understand their interests for planning their future studies and career pathways through job shadowing.

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 50th meeting

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 50th meeting

23/02/2023

The Business Facilitation Advisory Committee held its 50th meeting on 23 February 2023.  Please refer to the press release for more information.

Commissioned by the SIE Fund, the first

Commissioned by the SIE Fund, the first "Pay-for-Success" project in Hong Kong achieves notable results

30/01/2023

Striving to promote the “Pay-for-Success”(PFS) funding model, the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund has commissioned Oxfam Hong Kong to take forward the city’s first PFS project, namely "Start from the Beginning - Chinese Supporting Scheme for Non-Chinese Speaking Students (NCS) in Kindergarten". The project has seen notable results since its inception in 2020, with huge improvements in the Chinese proficiency of non-Chinese speaking kindergarten students and significant enhancements in teachers’ overall teaching skills. For more information about the project, please watch the newly published video.

SIE Fund invites expression of interest for the Venture Building Initiative

SIE Fund invites expression of interest for the Venture Building Initiative

06/01/2023

SIE Fund has been encouraging social entrepreneurs to make good use of resources from different sectors, such as the business and philanthropy sectors, to jointly promote the sustainable development of the social innovation ecosystem. The Fund plans to launch the Venture Building Initiative to further promote cross-sector collaboration. Organisations with extensive network and professional knowledge will be invited to assist social ventures in coping with various challenges during development stage, and in turn support the ventures to create greater social impact.

Appointments to the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee

Appointments to the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee

30/12/2022

The Government announced appointments to the Business Facilitation Advisory Committee for a term of two years from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2024. Please refer to the press release for more information.

Appointments to the SIE Fund Task Force

Appointments to the SIE Fund Task Force

30/12/2022

The Government announced appointments to the SIE Fund Task Force under the Commission on Poverty for a term of one and a half years from 1 January 2023 to 30 June 2024. Please refer to the press release for more information.

SIE Fund Task Force visits Wong Tai Sin District Health Centre

SIE Fund Task Force visits Wong Tai Sin District Health Centre

07/12/2022

The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) Task Force and the Secretariat paid a visit to the Wong Tai Sin District Health Centre (WTS DHC) on 7 December 2022 to gain a better understanding of the operation of a district health centre and services provided for users of different ages with the adoption of technology. Operated by the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council, the WTS DHC provides health promotion, health risk factors assessment, chronic disease management services and community rehabilitation programmes to the local community.

SIE Fund participates in Social Enterprise Summit and showcases the achievements of young social entrepreneurs

SIE Fund participates in Social Enterprise Summit and showcases the achievements of young social entrepreneurs

26/11/2022

Over the years, the SIE Fund has participated in the Social Enterprise Summit, a spectacular event of the social innovation circle. The International Symposium of the 15th Social Enterprise Summit was held from 24 to 27 November 2022. The SIE Fund, as in previous years, hosted the Social Innovation Exhibition at the Symposium’s venue to introduce the Fund’s major works and achievements.

The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry officiates at FOOD-CO Partners’ Recognition Ceremony

The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry officiates at FOOD-CO Partners’ Recognition Ceremony

21/11/2022

Launched in 2017, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund’s food support flagship project FOOD-CO has brought significant enhancement to the efficiency of Hong Kong’s food support services through the application of technology and cross-sector collaboration and promoted “save and share” through diverse activities in the community. It has so far facilitated more than 10 000 transactions of food donation, with food weighing over 1 500 tonnes in total.

Innovation and Technology Solution Expo 2022
  • Promotion of I&T Adoption in the Government
  • Exhibition

Innovation and Technology Solution Expo 2022

11/11/2022

The Efficiency Office, together with Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and Cyberport, organised the Innovation and Technology Solution Expo 2022 on 11 November 2022. 46 companies were brought to showcase their latest innovations to more than 390 officials from 55 government bureaux and departments (B/Ds).

SIE Fund Task Force visits Gerontech and Innovation Expo

SIE Fund Task Force visits Gerontech and Innovation Expo

03/11/2022

The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) Task Force paid a visit to the Gerontech and Innovation Expo on 3 November 2022 to keep abreast of the latest development of gerontechnology and exchange views with practitioners of the sector.

The Efficiency Office participates in the International ICT Expo 2022
  • Promotion of I&T Adoption in the Government
  • Exhibition

The Efficiency Office participates in the International ICT Expo 2022

13-16/10/2022

The Efficiency Office participated as one of the exhibitors in the Smart Government Pavilion of the International ICT Expo 2022 from 13 to 16 October 2022 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to introduce the “Be the Smart Regulator” and “Streamlining of Government Services” Programmes.

The Efficiency Office Volunteer Team - Save and Share with Warm Regards
  • Voluntary Work

The Efficiency Office Volunteer Team - Save and Share with Warm Regards

10/09/2022

On Mid-Autumn Festival on 10 September 2022, the Efficiency Office Volunteer Team celebrated the occasion in a meaningful way.

SIE Fund invites proposals for new batch of intermediaries

SIE Fund invites proposals for new batch of intermediaries

02/06/2022

The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) engages intermediaries as strategic partners to design and deliver innovative programmes to support social innovators/ventures of different forms and at different stages of development. Services of the batch of intermediaries engaged by the SIE Fund in 2020 are due to expire and the Fund is planning to appoint the third batch of intermediaries in the latter half of 2022. Following two online exchange sessions organised earlier to collect views of stakeholders, the SIE Fund is now inviting proposals from interested parties to apply for the role of intermediaries for designing and administering innovative programmes. Proposals from entities established in Hong Kong that share the Fund’s objective are welcome.

SIE Fund invites views on engaging new batch of intermediaries

SIE Fund invites views on engaging new batch of intermediaries

12/04/2022

The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) has engaged two batches of four intermediaries in 2015 and 2020 to design and deliver “Innovative Programmes” that offer funding and incubation programmes meeting the needs of the social innovation space. The services of the second batch of intermediaries are due to expire and the Fund is planning to engage a new batch of intermediaries to further take forward the Fund’s work. To collect views from the social innovation sector regarding the engagement work, the Fund is organising online exchange sessions with stakeholders on 20 and 22 April 2022. Interested individuals and organisations are welcome to attend either one of the online sessions for sharing views and suggestions.