City I&T Grand Challenge extends application period to June 30

     The Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) announced today (February 23) that the application deadline for the first City I&T Grand Challenge will be extended from April 24 to June 30.

     A spokesman for the Commission said, "During the epidemic, face-to-face classes and extra-curricular activities for primary and secondary schools have not been fully resumed. Schools have also been heavily engaged in rearrangements for classes and anti-epidemic work on campus. Extension of the application period will allow more time, both online and offline, for teachers and students to interact with one another and form teams for the competition."

     To enable contestants to have a good understanding of the theme of the competition, the relevant innovation and technology (I&T) areas and the concept of design thinking, a host of related videos are provided on the competition website. Additional enriching training content will also be uploaded continuously. In the Inspiration Masterclasses L-I-V-E series, more than 10 seminars and workshops under the four topics, namely "Living", "Innovation and Technology", "Vision" and "Entrepreneurship", will be conducted. Members of the public and students are welcome to participate online. Furthermore, the "Train the Trainer" series and small-group visits tailor-made for teachers of primary and secondary schools will be rolled out in March to equip them to guide their students in transforming innovative ideas into I&T proposals.

     Organised by the ITC together with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the first City I&T Grand Challenge was launched on December 18, 2020. In light of the new normal during the epidemic, the theme of the competition is "Innovating for Hong Kong's New Normal". All sectors of the community are invited to put forward I&T solutions focusing on two topics, namely "Environmental Sustainability" and "Social Connectivity", to tackle problems faced by the city and people in their daily lives. A series of workshops and other activities are also held to promote an I&T atmosphere in the whole community. The competition is divided into the Primary School Group, the Secondary School Group, the University/Tertiary Education Group and the Open Group. Winners will be awarded a cash prize and a trophy. Winners of the University/Tertiary Education and Open Groups will also have a chance to receive research and development resources, and training for refining their I&T solutions for trials at a designated venue such as a government department or a public organisation. Details are available at the event website (citytechgc.hk).