HKPC driving innovation and technology to deliver values to industries

Former chairman wins at 2022 HKB Management Excellence Awards.

As a key enabler and catalyst in the industry support infrastructure in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) prides itself on being the driving force behind technologies that enhance productivity in Hong Kong enterprises and turn Hong Kong into an innovation and technology hub.

Through his efforts and leadership expertise, Willy Lin as the former Chairman (August 2016 – August 2022) led the Council of HKPC to roll out highly effective initiatives, winning him the Executive of the Year - Non-Profit Organization Award at the HKB Management Excellence Awards 2022.

The awards programme recognises major players and key innovators in management for Hong Kong businesses, and Lin distinguished himself by driving three key initiatives in HKPC in the recent two financial years that helped elevate the productivity and competitiveness of Hong Kong industries.  The 3 initiatives are technology development and application, FutureSkills training, and the implementation of government funding schemes.

Lin’s three initiatives altogether cemented HKPC's prowess as a major FutureSkills provider and put HKPC in a league of world-class technology powerhouses to help Hong Kong companies meet challenges in the changing business environment and respond to emerging technology trends.

Under the technology development and application initiative, 206 new R&D projects were pushed through in 2020/21 and 2021/22, with over 90% of technical projects involving industrial application of HKPC-developed solutions. International and local recognition of HKPC’s technical achievements totalled 66 awards in 2021/22 alone, with over 70% of the winning solutions having been commercialised or applied locally and overseas. HKPC's technical excellence is underpinned by a high standard of management which is well recognised. Awards obtained in the management field, together with those in technology areas, totalled 85 in 2021/22. 

Thanks to government support for innovation and technology, HKPC secured funding from the Innovation and Technology Fund in two years to carry out 60 industry-leading R&D projects. HKPC also obtained 87 patents and undertook over 110 new projects backed by its patents.

The FutureSkills training initiative saw more than 1,000 training courses held in 2020/21 and 2021/22 with over 30,000 participants across ages and industries, boasting a consistently high learning satisfaction index. HKPC has been promoting STEM education in Hong Kong, holding more than 100 events in 2021/22 that brought in over 5,300 students and teachers for a deep dive into various STEM topics like artificial intelligence, coding and robotics.

Within two years, the FutureSkills initiative established a reputable STEAM network of 100 partners and 87 schools, being eventually recognised as a reputable STEAM education provider to carry out STEAM projects for schools and the community.

HKPC has also been experimenting with virtual learning since early 2022 with an Online Learning Platform (HKPC vLearn) to offer flexible learning at the convenience of the learners’ own time and pace with topics covering new technology applications and essential skills for the workplace. A campaign was launched in March 2022 to offer SME employees free online courses during the pandemic, covering customer experience essentials, blockchain, cloud computing, big data, and robotics.

In serving as the secretariat of various government funding schemes, HKPC received over 60,000 applications in 2020/21 and 2021/22 and disbursed over HK$2.6b in funding to SMEs to help them upgrade and transform. To promote the funding support to SMEs, over 3,600 one-on-one free consultations were held with 6,400 inquiries handled, and more than 270 events organised, joined by 48,000 participants. Through the digitalisation of the funding application process, HKPC improved operational efficiency and enhanced the customer experience for funding applicants.

Under Lin’s leadership, HKPC continued to achieve business growth whilst expanding its service portfolio and clientele across many industries in Hong Kong, Greater Bay Area and overseas, as recognition from both international and local sources poured in to celebrate the successes that HKPC enjoyed in the past two years.

The HKB Management Excellence Awards is presented by Hong Kong Business Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2023 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's employee engagements and management initiatives, please contact Danica Avila at [email protected].