A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Hong Kong Cyberport (Cyberport) was held today to set up the HKU x Cyberport Digital Tech Entrepreneurship Platform (Platform). The Platform is the first-of-its-kind collaboration between HKU and Cyberport aiming to form a closer partnership to build a unique digital tech ecosystem for Hong Kong spanning the aspects of human capital, innovation and technologies, entrepreneurship, and legal and business expertise.
Mr. Herman Lam Heung-yeung, CEO of Cyberport and Professor Andy Hor Tzi-sum, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) of HKU, signed the MoU at Cyberport, witnessed by Dr Lee George Lam, Chairman of Cyberport and Professor Peter Mathieson, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU.
Cyberport has the largest FinTech cluster in Hong Kong with close to 200 FinTech companies, and houses the world’s leading FinTech Accelerators like Accenture FinTech Innovation Lab Asia Pacific and SuperCharger. Cyberport also provides the largest FinTech co-working space for FinTech events and workshops to support the aim under the MoU. “Cyberport is pleased to seal a strategic partnership with HKU, we share the same vision and commitment to drive digital tech innovation and adoption. With Cyberport’s wealth of global connections and digital entrepreneurial resources, together with HKU’s expertise on technologies and development, we are sure that many more great ideas will flourish and innovative solutions will be widely adopted,” said Dr Lee George Lam, Chairman of Cyberport.
As an internationally recognized research-led education institute and breadth of academic expertise, HKU shall provide support to digital tech start-ups at Cyberport by hosting legal and business clinics with professional service on legal advice, business plan consultancy and internal valuation practices to help them accelerate their growth organically and inorganically. Through this Platform, a “HKU x Cyberport FinTech Nucleus” is also set up. “HKU is pleased to partner with Cyberport. With our strength in human capital and the expertise and technologies from our faculty, together with Cyberport’s connections and infra-structure, we can cultivate and develop strong innovation and entrepreneurial activities through this platform,” said Professor Peter Mathieson, President and ViceChancellor of HKU.
The opening of the “HKU x Cyberport FinTech Nucleus” is the first step to introducing more creativity and innovation to The Cyberport Centre of Global FinTech Innovation, an important avenue where FinTech solutions will be spotlighted to stimulate exchanges and adoption, as well as to spawn further innovation and collaboration. At the launch of the FinTech Nucleus, the very unique cybersecurity technology - SHIELD by the Center for Information Security and Cryptography (CISC) was showcased. A powerful portfolio optimization software “PORTimizer®” and MPF mobile app “MPF Optimal Allocation (MPF OpAl)” by the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science was also demonstrated. CISC will offer 50 units of SHIELD for a one-year free trial, with the support from the Public Sector Trial Scheme (PSTS) under the Innovation and Technology Commission of the Government of HKSAR, to the FinTech start-ups and companies in the Cyberport community.
With the opening of FinTech Nucleus and the Centre of Global FinTech Innovation, Cyberport will further reinforce its strength in providing a comprehensive one-stop platform to bring together the world’s top FinTech innovative solutions and industry stakeholders to access, collaborate and build stronger synergies to form a center of global FinTech excellence.