Press Release

Distinguished speakers from Government agencies, academia and the industry attended the annual forum hosted by ASTRI

[Hong Kong, 14 December 2018] As Hong Kong’s largest applied research and development centre, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) has a mission to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. The Institute today hosted the ASTRI Technovation Summit 2018 that brought together over 30 thought leaders and experts from Government agencies, research community and the industry. Exploring ideas and sharing experiences on a smart future for our city empowered by AI, the Summit attracted over 400 experts, entrepreneurs and top-level executives from across the industry to explore opportunities in driving a smart, innovation-led Hong Kong.

In his opening remarks, Mr Nicholas W Yang, GBS, JP, Secretary for Innovation and Technology said that “Artificial Intelligence is an important technology area unlocking a whole new world of potential and Hong Kong definitely has an edge in developing AI. We are working at full steam to build the research cluster ‘AIR@InnoHK’ focusing on AI and robotics technologies in Hong Kong Science Park. We will continue to render full support under the Innovation and Technology Fund to finance applied R&D projects on AI. The Government will also lead by example by adopting AI to improve public services.” With the concerted efforts of the industry, academia, R&D centres and the Government, “Hong Kong would be playing a crucial role in developing more AI applications to bring better life for our citizens in the future,” Mr Yang added.

Acknowledging the important role played by ASTRI and its partners in the industry, Mr Wong Ming-yam, SBS, JP, ASTRI Board Chairman said in his welcome remarks, “Artificial Intelligence and connectivity solutions offer unprecedented opportunities for Hong Kong to innovate solutions, facilitate growth and development, and inspire the entire ecosystem of Hong Kong’s technology sector.”

The day-long summit featured seven keynote presentations and five panel discussions. Speakers included the Honourable Mr Charles Mok, JP, Legislative Council Member; Mr Jason Pun, Assistant Government Chief Information Officer; Ms Esther Wong, Managing Director of Strategic Investments of SenseTime; Dr Winnie Tang, Founding and Honorary President of Hong Kong Smart City Consortium;  and Professor Henry Chung from the Department of Electronic Engineering of the City University of Hong Kong. In his presentation, Mr Hugh Chow, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI shared the experience and insights from ASTRI’s innovation journey, and the role it plays in supporting Hong Kong’s I&T and Smart City development endeavours.

The panel discussions focused on applications of AI and next generation communications technologies across a wide variety of sectors, such as ‘smart government’, ‘smart mobility’, ‘cybersecurity’ and ‘smart manufacturing’. The panellists represented public sector institutions and government departments such as Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, Hong Kong Police Force, Water Supplies Department, Hong Kong Fire Services Department, and Customs and Excise Department. Academic and private sectors were represented by HKT, Standard Chartered Bank, TNG, Octopus, Nova, Marvel Digital, Huawei, Master Concept, Profit Peak and Smart Secure ID.

The Summit wrapped up with a panel discussion by former ASTRI members – ASTRIANs – who left the Institute but continue to contribute to the advancement of I&T either from other organisations of through their own ventures. The ‘ASTRIANs: Brightest Minds, Powerful Impacts’ session covered how innovative ideas incubated in ASTRI turned into inspirational ‘Made in Hong Kong success’ stories. ASTRI Alumni Network – or ASTRIAN – is an important initiative that bridges ASTRI and its current team with alumni members, seeking to maximise the support offered to past and present team members while also leveraging the collective professional strength of the alumni community.

ASTRI Technovation Summit 2018 sought to facilitate meaningful dialogues and impactful collaborations for Hong Kong’s advancement in the I&T sector and its overall Smart City development. The Summit’s speakers unanimously called for more traction in AI-based research and active commercialisation of smart technologies in Hong Kong, predicting robust economic development and improved quality of residents’ lives.

[Hong Kong, 12 December 2018]  The Hong Kong Science and technology Research Institute (ASTRI) Company Limited has been recognised once again for its innovation excellence – this time with three awards at the Hong Kong Awards for Industries (HKAI) 2018. The Awards’ presentation ceremony was officiated by Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR.

A total of 259 entries were received in the 2018 edition of HKAI. ASTRI received three honours: 1) Technological Achievement Award for its Narrowband Internet of Things solutions, 2) Equipment and Machinery Design Certificate of Merit for the All-in-one Virtual Reality Head Mount Display, and 3) Equipment and Machinery Design Award for the Collaborative Mobile Manipulator for Industrial Head Clean Room, jointly with its partner SAE Magnetics (Hong Kong) Limited.

Information about ASTRI’s award winning projects:

Technological Achievement Award for Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) solutions: ASTRI’s NB-IoT solutions include an IP platform that supports the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard for User Equipment applications consisting RF transceiver, digital baseband, power management unit and power amplifier. The design and implementation of the solution enable miniaturised chips, saves design and production cost, and facilitates a wide range of applications and devices in the modern era.

Equipment and Machinery Design Certificate of Merit for All-in-one Virtual Reality Head Mount Display (HMD): ASTRI developed the unique all-in-one HMD device that leverages both Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality technologies. Its innovative sensor fusion and optimised operating system offer advanced multi-functional features for numerous Smart City applications such as healthcare, infotainment and education.

Equipment and Machinery Design Award for Collaborative Mobile Manipulator (CMM) for Industrial Head Clean Room: SAE Magnetics (Hong Kong) Limited and ASTRI developed the CMM platform with mobility, sensing and manipulation capabilities for reconfigurable, flexible, and highly automated manufacturing. Equipped with advanced sensors and able to significantly reduce operational complexity, the CMM can work autonomously or collaborate with human operators. It has a very wide application potential across Smart Factories in the Industry 4.0 era. It is particularly suited for material logistics and automatic work cells that produce magnetic heads in a clean room environment.

ASTRI’s Chairman Mr Wong Ming-yam, SBS, JP, and its CEO Mr Hugh Chow were present on the occasion as the winning R&D teams received the HKAI honours. Congratulating the winners, Mr Chow said, “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of ASTRI and its industrial partners, we have attained strong breakthroughs in smart technologies that leverage Industry 4.0 development potential and support the re-industrialisation agenda of Hong Kong. Intelligent Manufacturing is one of the core initiatives in ASTRI’s R&D strategy. We will continue to develop cutting edge technologies to enhance Hong Kong’s competitiveness in business and industries powered by industry-relevant smart applications.”

HKT and Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) have established the HKT-ASTRI Smart City Joint Laboratory to pursue advanced technologies and solutions for Smart City. HKT will provide financial support to the joint laboratory which will leverage ASTRI’s R&D expertise in next generation communications technologies and sophisticated data solutions.

Dr David Chung – Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, said, “The development of a smart city cannot solely rely on the government for a people-centric smart city should be built together with the participation of the private sector and the public. Only by this, we can derive smart measures that best suit the needs of the people. The cooperation between HKT and ASTRI today well demonstrates the joint effort of the public and private sectors in utilising technology to improve the life quality for people. I am looking forward to your successful applications very soon.”

Ms Susanna Hui – Group Managing Director of HKT, said, “In this digital era, HKT has already transformed from a traditional telecom operator to a provider of innovative services and solutions for smarter living and smarter business operations. We aim to bring more positive changes to the lives of Hong Kong people and the economy at large through this collaboration, in support of the Government’s Smart City vision.”

Mr Peter Lam – Managing Director of HKT Engineering, said, “We are delighted to continue and strengthen our cooperation with ASTRI through the establishment of the joint laboratory, which will leverage the R&D capability of both parties to explore advanced technology and applications for Smart City in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.”

Referring to the Government’s Smart City vision, Mr Hugh Chow – Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, said, “The Smart City revolution will create enormous opportunities for sustainable economic growth for Hong Kong and this region. Our partnership with HKT is fully aligned with the Government’s vision for an innovation-led smart Hong Kong.”

The HKT-ASTRI Smart City Joint Laboratory will start with a few initial focus areas on Smart City infrastructure, Smart Mobility (including Electronic Road Pricing and Connected Vehicles) as well as fore-running technologies such as Blockchain, big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Smart Economy, in which ASTRI’s R&D expertise in next generation communication technologies, blockchain, video and data analytics, AI and cyber security will come into play.

Hong Kong’s Smart City development blueprint is all about addressing urban challenges, strengthening governance, enhancing public services, improving quality of lives, and ensuring safety and sustainability – with the power of innovation and technology. The HKT-ASTRI Smart City Joint Laboratory will pursue sophisticated and market-relevant innovations contributing to that goal.

About HKT

HKT (SEHK: 6823) is Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider and leading operator in fixed-line, broadband and mobile communication services. It meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sales, outsourcing, consulting, and contact centres.

HKT offers a unique quadruple-play experience in Hong Kong delivering media content on its fixed-line, broadband Internet access and mobile platforms jointly with its parent company, PCCW Limited.

HKT also provides a range of innovative and smart living services beyond connectivity to make the daily lives of customers more convenient, whether they are at home, in the workplace, or on the go. For more information, please visit www.hkt.com.

About ASTRI

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) was set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research.

ASTRI’s core R&D competence in various areas is organised under seven Technology Divisions, namely Mixed Signal Systems IC, Advanced Digital Systems, Electronics Components, Intelligent Sensing Technology System, Intelligent Software and Systems, Security and Data Sciences and Communications Technologies. Our R&D strategic focus covers five areas of applications: financial technologies, intelligent manufacturing, health technologies, smart city and the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre (CNERC), forming our five-pillar R&D strategies.

For more information, please contact:
Stella Wong
HKT
Tel: +852 2888 2253
Email: [email protected]

Iris Fu
ASTRI
Tel: +852 3406 0266
Email: [email protected]

The ‘Smart Open Data Advancement Consortium’ was officially launched on 1 November 2018 during Hong Kong FinTech Week, aiming to revolutionise data-driven innovation endeavours and create tangible impact through a secure and user-friendly platform to effectively leverage open data. The Consortium’s founding members are: ASTRI, City University of Hong Kong, Deloitte, FORMS SYNTRON, JETCO and Nova Credit.

[Hong Kong, 1 November 2018] Senior executives of the founding members of the Smart Open Data Advancement Consortium, and industry representatives attended the ceremony to launch the Consortium which will bring  ground-breaking improvements to various public services and commercial sectors in Hong Kong through data-driven innovation.

First of its kind in Hong Kong, the Consortium is being founded by six organisations: The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), City University of Hong Kong, Deloitte, FORMS SYNTRON, JETCO and Nova Credit. As the membership base grows, the Consortium will strive to raise public awareness of the massive power of data, and promote cross-industry adoption of its platform to deliver maximised scale and impact. Targeting digital-savvy businesses and professionals, the Consortium will build a trusted data ecosystem where consent-based design will ensure full information security and privacy. In addition to saving time, effort and resources to deal with data, it will also mitigate fraud risk and adopt globally accepted best-case examples.

An ecosystem-driven initiative, the Consortium will enable public sector and commercial organisations in Hong Kong – and subsequently in the Greater Bay Area – to develop and implement data-driven smart applications and services to boost productivity and enhance user satisfaction. With its human and organisation-centric approach, it will provide a secure, user-friendly platform for various sectors to unleash the full power of data in their operations and businesses. From government agencies to industry regulators, public service providers to financial institutions, academia to different business sectors – the platform will adopt a Triple Helix model. In this model of innovation, academia and R&D centres come up with technological solutions and platforms, the Government sets the regulatory and enabling framework, while the industry leverages the innovation to enhance productivity and improve customer experience.

This initiative can be extremely impactful through a robust ecosystem-wide adoption in Hong Kong. It comes at a time when the Government and the industry are actively striving for better utilisation of big data to foster economic growth and offer better services to the people. In future, the Smart Open Data Advancement Consortium can also target the huge growth potential of business and innovation in the vibrant Greater Bay Area market.