Corporate News

ASTRI is partnering with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and Molecular Hub, to launch a Blockchain-focused accelerator programme for start-ups. The programme was launched today, 13 July 2018, in a ceremony held at Hong Kong Science Park.

ASTRI, a key partner in the programme, will build and enhance technological know-how and capabilities of the participating start-ups, providing them with Blockchain-related training. The start-ups will also be able to leverage ASTRI’s R&D infrastructure by accessing the facilities of the Smart City Innovation Centre operated by ASTRI.

Dr David Chung Wai-keung, JP, Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the Hong Kong SAR Government, was one of the officiating guests at the programme’s launch. Highlighting the SAR Government’s determination to position Hong Kong as a global innovation hub, Dr Chung said, “Since its establishment in 2015, the Government’s Innovation and Technology Bureau made a significant investment to I&T development to the tune of HK$ 78 billion. The Government’s support to I&T development covers many different areas of technologies and applications with particular emphasis on Financial Technologies, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, as well as Healthcare technologies.”

Other dignitaries present at the event included: the Honourable Dr Elizabeth Quat, BBS, JP – Member of the HKSAR Legislative Council, as well as senior leaders from HKSTP, ASTRI, Molecular Hub, leading investment and venture capital firms, prominent FinTech firms and other technology companies.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr MeiKei Ieong – ASTRI’s Chief Technology Officer said, “ASTRI is the largest government-funded applied R&D institute in Hong Kong, focusing on Information and Communications Technology. We have a strong track record of commercialising innovative technological solutions in Smart City, FinTech, AI + Robotics and Health Technologies. Through this partnership, we look forward to working with HKSTP and Molecular Hub to provide support to start-ups, aiming to accelerate the development of I&T in Hong Kong and beyond. ”

Mr George Tee, Chief Technology Officer of HKSTP, said, “Blockchain technology has enormous potential for use and can be applied into various industries and in many various ways – from compliance, to finance and operations. HKSTP encourages innovation, hence we have seen our Park companies successfully applying this technology to logistics, insurance, ID authentication and property valuation. The timing couldn’t be any better for us to launch this programme, to capture the huge market opportunity out there. This move will certainly put Hong Kong as an attractive venue for innovators to turn their ideas into commercial success.”

Mr Jacky Chan, CEO of Molecular Hub said, “With Molecular Hub collaborating with HKSTP and ASTRI in this programme, the three of us can definitely give extra value and an extra edge for start-ups to validate their ideas. We hope this will be the start of many great things to happen out of Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area, especially with respect to the development of FinTech.”

The programme focuses exclusively on Blockchain technology development and also other applications such as Smart City solutions. The programme plans to start its worldwide recruitment in August, with the official launch expected take place in November 2018. The other partner in the programme, Molecular Hub will help the start-ups to explore and untap Blockchain-related opportunities along the Belt-and-Road markets including China.

Led by Mr Sunny Cheung – Chief Executive Officer, a delegation of Octopus Holdings Ltd visited ASTRI on 9 July 2018 to understand the Institute’s latest R&D endeavours in Big Data Analytics, Blockchain, Customer Onboarding and Identity Management, Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Authentication Systems. Mr Hugh Chow – Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, accompanied by Dr MeiKei Ieong – Chief Technology Officer and the team, welcomed the delegation to ASTRI’s premises and discussed potential collaborations between the two organisations. The Octopus delegation also included Mr Sammy Kam – Technical Director, Ms Rita Li – Sales and Marketing Director, Mr Francis Cheung – Finance Director and other management staff.

Octopus is a pioneer in electronic payment systems, having introduced its namesake – one of the first and most famous contactless stored value smart cards in the world. The company has since pursued many innovative and dynamic solutions leveraging the power of information and communication technologies. ASTRI has one of the strongest FinTech R&D teams in this region. ASTRI’s FinTech solutions – ranging from cybersecurity to Blockchain and Identity Management solutions, authentication systems to machine learning and data analytics – cater to the wider financial services industry in Hong Kong.

During the visit, the Octopus team learnt about ASTRI’s FinTech R&D projects including cybersecurity intelligence and fortification initiatives, various authentication methods including token-based and biometric systems, big data analytics, as well as the AI-based handwritten Chinese character recognition system. An in-depth discussion between the Octopus delegation and ASTRI’s R&D experts touched upon various issues including electronic payments, customer onboarding and digital identity management processes. The complex range of technologies related to these – such as data privacy and security, obtaining, protecting and sharing customer information, and management of customer loyalty – were discussed.

Mr Hugh Chow, ASTRI’s Chief Executive Officer, acknowledged that “Data, customers and finance are all tied together by technology – that’s how we live our lives and run our businesses in this age. Octopus is an internationally respected organisation credited with some of the earliest technological innovations in payment systems. With our strong and market-relevant expertise in FinTech and Smart City solutions, ASTRI will be delighted to partner with Octopus and bring about fantastic innovations for Hong Kong and beyond.”

Thanking the ASTRI team for the “great hospitality and a very informative and enjoyable afternoon”, Mr Sunny Cheung – Chief Executive Officer of Octopus hoped for further collaboration and partnership between the two organisations.

 

A delegation from Hengqin New Area (Free Trade Zone) led by Mr Duncan Chiu, Board Director of ASTRI, visited ASTRI on 3 July 2018. The visiting delegation included Mr Jin Niu – Director, as well as Mr Xi-bin Lin and Mr Zeng-qing Luo – Deputy Directors, of the Administrative Committee, Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone – Hengqin Area of Zhuhai.

Hengqin, the special economic zone located next to the Macau Special Administrative Region, has received approval from the State Council to double its land area. The zone’s administrators are keen to attract new projects as well as bright talents and new technologies to advance the Free Trade Zone’s smart city development endeavours. The delegation visited ASTRI’s Smart City Innovation Centre and experienced a number of smart city solutions developed by ASTRI and its partners. Received at ASTRI’s facility by its CEO Mr Hugh Chow and other executives, the delegation explored possibilities for future collaborations with ASTRI in Hengqin and other parts of the Great Bay Area.

A delegation comprising some 30 members of the Hong Kong Management Association (HKMA) visited ASTRI on 29 June 2018. Dr Ieong Mei-Kei, ASTRI’s Chief Technology Officer, welcomed them. The group witnessed a series of ASTRI’s latest technologies such as Naked-eye 3D display, Blockchain, Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything, Palm Fusion Biometric Authentication, various applications of 5G. In addition, Dr Lucas Hui, ASTRI’s Senior Director of Security and Data Sciences, briefed the visitors on the latest developments in FinTech and cybersecurity. ASTRI strives to maintain close contact and collaboration with professional organisations, frequently exchanging knowledge and experience with them. Having learnt about ASTRI and its innovative endeavours, the HKMA delegation acknowledged their experience as very useful. The learning from ASTRI would help them to enhance management quality of the respective organisations they represent.

 

 

The HKSAR Government has announced the 2018 Hong Kong SAR Honours List. Among the recipients, four distinguished individuals have been honoured with the Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM), ten with the Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS), 20 with the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS), and 40 with the Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS). ASTRI’s Chairman Mr Wong Ming-yam, who was honoured with the BBS in 2012, has been conferred with the SBS Honour this year. The Honours recipients are from different walks of life. The SAR Government has bestowed the honours on them in recognition of significant contributions to Hong Kong – their dedicated public and community service. The presentation ceremony for the awards will be held on 27 October 2018.

In the citation for Mr Wong, the SAR Government announcement said: “Since his appointment as the Board Chairman of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) in 2013, Mr Wong has been steering the Board to set the policy and strategic directions for ASTRI and leading ASTRI to strengthen its corporate governance, research capabilities, commercialisation of research and development results, among others, to build up the branding of ASTRI.” The citation recognised his accomplishments in the field of innovation and technology, and lauded his significant contributions to “enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries.”

On behalf of the entire ASTRI organisation, we wholeheartedly congratulate Mr Wong Ming-yam for this well-deserved recognition. As the Chairman of ASTRI’s Board, he has selflessly dedicated his deep knowledge and vast experience to the advancement of ASTRI’s R&D endeavours. With over 35 years of experience in technology-based sectors, Mr Wong remains as passionate as ever about fostering innovation and serving the community. In addition to providing strategic leadership and governance oversight to ASTRI as its Chairman, he is also a key source of inspiration for its Management and the entire workforce. He continues to be associated with several Government Boards and Committees on Innovation and Technology, and keeps serving the interest of the city as well as of the nation in his many capacities.

A delegation of some 20 members from the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, led by Mr Xu Lejiang, Deputy Minister of the Central United Front Work Department and Secretary of Party Committee of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, visited ASTRI on 27 June 2018.  The delegation was welcomed by ASTRI’s Chairman Mr Wong Ming-yam and Senior Director (Advanced Digital Systems) Mr Li Yiu-kei.  While at the Smart City Innovation Centre, the delegation witnessed a number of ASTRI’s latest R&D technologies, including naked-eye 3D display technology, Palm Fusion Biometric Sensing and Authentication system, as well as 5G applications for marine, land and air communications.

A delegation of the Hong Kong Smart City Consortium (SCC) visited ASTRI on 25 June 2018 to witness demonstrations of ASTRI’s smart city technology applications and to discuss future collaboration opportunities. Honourable Dr Elizabeth Quat – HKSAR Legislative Council (LegCo) Member as well as Founder and Honorary President of SCC, led the delegation to ASTRI. The delegation also included Dr Winnie Tang – also a founder and Honorary President, Mr Eric Yeung – President of the SCC, and some 20 Committee Chairmen of the SCC. Mr Wong Ming-yam, ASTRI’s Chairman, welcomed the delegation. He was accompanied by Dr MeiKei Ieong – Chief Technology Officer, Dr Justin Chuang – Vice President of Next Generation Network, Dr Lucas Hui – Senior Director of Security and Data Sciences, and other executives and R&D professionals.

The delegation spent time in ATSRI’s Smart City Innovation Centre, Mega Lab and Cyber Range facilities getting briefed on the latest R&D work including advanced display technologies, biometric authentication systems, AI-based chatbot and intelligent Chinese character recognition system, medical imagie analytics platform, next generation capsule endoscopy system, applications of 5G, AI and robotics in manufacturing, cybersecurity, and blockchain for financial services and other sectors.

Hon Dr Quat, a vocal proponent in the Legislative Council for Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development, suggested that “the SCC should seek further collaboration with ASTRIIto pursue joint innovation projects that can add strong practical value to innovation-led industries not just in Hong Kong but across the Southern China Greater Bay Area.” Hon Dr Quat promised to highlight in the LegCo the great potential of collaborative R&D endeavours that ASTRI is pursuing.  She also encouraged ASTRI to “leverage every available opportunity in the local, regional and national level to advance I&T”. The delegation members were impressed with the depth and dynamism of ASTRI’s work in smart city development and praised its R&D team’s efforts in making technology work for Hong Kong and its people.

Mr Wong Ming-yam commented that “ASTRI is extremely pleased to receive the delegation from SCC at our facility.” While only a few selected solutions developed by ASTRI were demonstrated during the visit, “there is a much wider and larger pool of applications in ASTRI’s repertoire and also in its R&D pipeline.” He expressed hope that “ASTRI and SCC will collaborate closely in future to benefit the overall smart city and I&T development endeavours.” Mr Wong thanked the SCC delegation members, especially the Hon Dr Quat, for taking the time for this visit and sharing their views and insights with the ASTRI team.

 

As Hong Kong strives to position itself as an international innovation hub, the HKSAR Government has announced unprecedented level of funding support and a series of other initiatives to materialise that vision. China’s Central Government is also steadfast in its support to Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development. The recent announcement that Hong Kong-based researchers will get bigger and easier access to national R&D funding unlocks a new world of potential for the city’s innovation ecosystem. Different players within Hong Kong’s I&T ecosystem, including the general public, have overwhelmingly welcomed these new initiatives and policies. Vice President of OneTV Media Global Limited, and ‘Elite One-on-One’ programme’s host, Ms Jane Chen interviewed ATSRI’s CEO Mr Hugh Chow, to discuss how Hong Kong could retain I&T talents.

Mr Chow talked about the excellent foundation in financial and logistics services prevalent in Hong Kong. If we compare the I&T development in Hong Kong and those in the Silicon Valley, Hong Kong is just a starter while Silicon Valley has almost half a century’s experience in developing I&T. However, if Hong Kong can leverage all the positive catalysts and drive growth and momentum in an innovation-led economy, we also have our own unique edge to compete in the race.

Do watch the full interview (available in Chinese only) – video courtesy to OneTV.

A plenary meeting of the 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) took place in the US city of San Diego on 13 June 2018. As the sole R&D organisation representing Hong Kong, ASTRI’s delegation in that meeting included Dr Justin Chuang – Vice President of Next Generation Network and Dr Eric Tsang – Director of Next Generation Network. The 3GPP plenary meeting was a momentous occasion where standalone standards for 5G NR were agreed upon by more than 600 delegates from the world’s major telecom operators, network, terminals and chipset vendors, internet companies and other vertical industry companies. The standards will act as an industry benchmark for the forthcoming worldwide rollout of 5G services.

The latest standalone 5G NR standards mark a big step ahead for the industry – it effectively means the initial yet crucial phase of technical and operational standardisations are now completed. The industry now enters the stage of commercial deployment. Based on the new 3GPP standards, regulators, operators and manufacturers can now finalise their 5G launch plans – from building the network to sourcing equipments to deploying 5G services for consumers.

The next-generation 5G standard formulated by 3GPP covers multiple technical aspects. With unprecedented speed, 10-20 times as fast as 4G, 5G services will use frequency bands, providing consumers with greater network capacity and faster data and voice experiences. In addition to solving congestion problems in urban networks, 5G can also pave the way for more innovative and revolutionary applications and business potential.

Finalising the new 5G NR standards will benefit the entire industry by setting the ground for practical implementation. Operators and OEMs can now conduct connectivity, performance  and compatibility testing of crucial elements like 5G NR chips as well as related applications. 5G services are expected to be commercialised sometime during 2019 with a sizeable international market of globally rolled out commercial networks, high-end devices and appliances and 5G-powered services taking shape in 2020. In addition to common public application services such as transmission of UHD 4K/8K and VR content, 5G will also facilitate a much wider range of applications including connected or driverless cars, and remotely controlled smart homes. Combined with artificial intelligence, drones, deep learning and other new technologies, 5G can indeed unlock a whole new world of smart businesses, smart living and smart cities. Even sectors like healthcare, manufacturing or construction can benefit from 5G, for instance when connected robots help humans to achieve bigger and better things.

As the largest Government-funded R&D institution in Hong Kong, ASTRI plays a key role in developing 5G applications and solutions. ASTRI will leverage the latest 3GPP standards for 5G NR and continue to strengthen its R&D pursuit that leads to successful rollout of 5G and overall Smart City development in Hong Kong.

From 13 to 15 June 2018, ASTRI participated in CES Asia – one of the largest events of the Asia-Pacific electronics industry – with its latest innovations in intelligent display technologies. Spearheaded by the Optoelectronics Technology Division, the ASTRI team showcased the most recent and exciting developments in its intelligent display R&D at the event which attracted over 40,000 visitors as well as more 500 than exhibiting institutions. Taking place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), the event was a grand showcase of the latest and most advanced solutions ranging from Smart Cities, Artificial Intelligence, Smart Vehicles to Robotics.

ASTRI’s innovations were on display at its booth N3-3033 at the event. The team, led by Mr Kenny Chan, Senior Manager, demonstrated a number of cutting-edge display technologies with sensing solutions relevant for Smart City applications, such as Laser Holographic Projection module and Head-up Display (HUD), In addition, ASTRI’s Head-mount Display (HMD) solution for Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications, as well as its award-winning Palm Sensing Biometric Authentication system were also showcased.

CES Asia is the premier event for the consumer electronics industry in this region. The event brings together innovators from across several vertical industries in the Asian marketplace while providing leading Asian and global brands as well as startups a platform to create partnerships, build relationships and reinforce their brands. Industry executives, global buyers, Government officials, market analysts, retailers, media and a large number of other visitors witness the latest products and technologies at this annual event.

ASTRI’s Optoelectronics team pursues the development of intelligent tools and solutions that support Smart City and development as well as Smart Manufacturing in Hong Kong and beyond. Fully aligned with the Hong Kong Government’s Smart City development blueprint and the Greater Bay Area development priorities, ASTRI strives to enhance Hong Kong’s global competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research.