Impact Innovation Lab

ORGANISED BY

FUNDED BY

ABOUT

Recognising the needs of the social innovation ecosystem in Hong Kong, Impact Innovation Lab (The Lab) is a new incubator that promotes social innovation to the general public and nurtures potential social innovators aged 18 or above.

Organised by MakerBay Foundation and funded by The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund, The Lab launches open calls every year. A variety of social issues are open for discussion. Potential social innovators will join a series of face-to-face and online training sessions to enrich their knowledge and skills in developing social innovation ideas to support the underprivileged. In addition, The Lab provides seed capital of up to HK$100,000 for awarded incubatees to actualise their visions with support from veterans and experts across different sectors and resources from a well-developed makerspace.

Impact Innovation Lab

OBJECTIVES

ENGAGEMENT

To promote social innovation to the general public and engage potential social innovators

INCUBATION

To incubate early-stage social innovation ideas

To nurture participants with an entrepreneurial mindset and essential skills to actualise their visions

COLLABORATION

To foster growth and collaboration in the social innovation ecosystem

OBJECTIVES

ENGAGEMENT

To promote social innovation to the general public and engage potential social innovators

INCUBATION

To incubate early-stage social innovation ideas

To nurture participants with an entrepreneurial mindset and essential skills to actualise their visions

COLLABORATION

To foster growth and collaboration in the social innovation ecosystem

PROGRAMME FRAMEWORK

AN INNOVATION JOURNEY
FROM IDEATION TO PROTOTYPING

PROGRAMME FRAMEWORK

AN INNOVATION JOURNEY

FROM IDEATION TO PROTOTYPING

 

LEARNING

Develop an
Entrepreneurial Mindset

  • Elementary Training
    • Introduction to Social Innovation
    • Bootcamp
    • Maker Skills Workshops (Woodworking, 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, AI & No-Code)
    • Online Weekly Tutorial Classes
  • Mentorship
  • Social Innovation Exploration Series

PITCHING

Strive to Actualise
Social Innovation Ideas

  • Seed Funding Application
    • First Pitch 
    • Final Pitch

NURTURING

Test & Grow
the Social Startup

  • 6-month Incubation for Awarded Projects with
    • Seed Capital Grant of up to HK$100,000
    • Free Use of Makerspace & Co-working Space
    • Support to Prototyping and Testing
    • Guidance & Insights from Experienced Practitioners
    • Networking Opportunities
    • Business Referral Support 
    • Promotion Platforms

OPEN CALLS

Applications for Cohort 6 are closed. Seed Funding Application will be open in December 2024. Stay tuned!

ELIGIBILITY

AGED 18 OR ABOVE

Permanent Residents of Hong Kong aged 18 or above

TEAM SIZE

Be a team of 1 to 5 members for proposal submission (Can join individually before proposal submission)

ELIGIBILITY

AGED 18 OR ABOVE

Permanent Residents of Hong Kong aged 18 or above

TEAM SIZE

Be a team of 1 to 5 members for proposal submission (Can join individually before proposal submission)

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Group 179

ELEMENTARY TRAINING

Online Application 

16 October 2024 (HKT 00:00) to

16 November 2024 (HKT 17:00)

Procedure

Register an account at Online Application System 

Group 227

6-MONTH INCUBATION

Seed Funding Application

9 December 2024 (HKT 00:00) to

27 December 2024 (HKT 17:00) 

Procedure

– Submit application through Online Application System

– Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their projects during the first pitch and final pitch

– The judging panel will assess the projects according to the evaluation criteria

– Awarded incubatees will be informed and start a 6-month incubation with seed capital and all-round support from Impact Innovation Lab

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

Online Application 

16 October 2024 (HKT 00:00) to

16 November 2024 (HKT 17:00)

Procedure

Register an account at Online Application System 

Seed Funding Application

9 December 2024 (HKT 00:00) to
27 December 2024 (HKT 17:00)

Procedure

– Submit application through Online Application System

– Shortlisted applicants will be invited to present their projects during the first pitch and final pitch

– The judging panel will assess the projects according to the evaluation criteria

– Awarded incubatees will be informed and start a 6-month incubation with seed capital and all-round support from Impact Innovation Lab

TIMELINE

COHORT 6

Application for the Elementary Training

16 Oct – 6 Nov 2024

Elementary Training

Nov – Dec 2024

Application for Seed Funding

9 – 27 Dec 2024

First Pitch

Mid Jan 2025

Final Pitch

Mid Feb 2025

Notification to Awarded Projects

Feb 2025

Incubation Period

May – Oct 2025

TIMELINE

COHORT 6

Application for the Elementary Training

16 Oct – 6 Nov 2024

Elementary Training

Nov – Dec 2024

Application for Seed Funding

9 – 27 Dec 2024

First Pitch

Mid Jan 2025

Final Pitch

Mid Feb 2025

Notification to Awarded Projects

Feb 2025

Incubation Period

May – Oct 2025

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Idea’s Innovativeness

15%

Social Impact

20%

Project Readiness

30%

Business Model and Market Analysis

20%

Commitment

15%

*Applicants for seed funding who attend at least 70% of the Elementary Training will receive a full score of “Commitment”, which accounts for 15% of the evaluation criteria.

The proposal should be related to local poverty alleviation, focusing on various pressing poverty issues and the needs of vulnerable groups, especially households living in subdivided units, single-parent households and elderly households, such as elderly singletons and doubletons. The target beneficiaries are members of the public in Hong Kong who are generally residents of Hong Kong without conditions of stay.

– Impact Innovation Lab has been appointed by The SIE Fund as one of the third batch of intermediaries. The SIE Fund enables social entrepreneurs to address social needs through innovative ideas, products and services, and assists the Government in formulating targeted poverty alleviation initiatives.

References:

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Idea’s Innovativeness

15%

Social Impact

20%

Project Readiness

30%

Business Model and Market Analysis

20%

Commitment*

15%

*Applicants for seed funding who attend at least 70% of the Elementary Training will receive a full score of “Commitment”, which accounts for 15% of the evaluation criteria.

The proposal should be related to local poverty alleviation, focusing on various pressing poverty issues and the needs of vulnerable groups, especially households living in subdivided units, single-parent households and elderly households, such as elderly singletons and doubletons. The target beneficiaries are members of the public in Hong Kong who are generally residents of Hong Kong without conditions of stay.

– Impact Innovation Lab has been appointed by The SIE Fund as one of the third batch of intermediaries. The SIE Fund enables social entrepreneurs to address social needs through innovative ideas, products and services, and assists the Government in formulating targeted poverty alleviation initiatives.

References:

MENTORS

ONLINE COURSES & HAPPENINGS

INCUBATEES

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SUPPORTING ORGANISATIONS

FAQ

Impact Innovation Lab is now open for applications for its Sixth Cohort until November 6, 2024.

Permanent residents of Hong Kong aged 18 or above are eligible to join the programme.

There is no participation fee, including the training and applications for seed funding.

No, anyone who is keen to develop social innovation projects could apply for the programme. For details, please refer to Eligibility section.

The Elementary Training is designed specifically for potential social innovators. To fully understand social innovation and develop ideas into reality, participants will join the Bootcamp, Maker Skills Workshops, Weekly Tutorial courses and Mentoring session. The Elementary Training aims to equip the participants with an entrepreneurial mindset. It covers a variety of topics, including social innovation, project management, user research, social impact measurement, decision-making and risk management, social return on investment, maker skills for prototyping, branding and marketing, pitching skills, etc.

The Elementary Training lasts eight weeks, and the incubation is six months long.

The programme provides awarded projects with seed capital of up to HK$100,000 to develop their social innovation projects. There are eight open calls during the three-year programme. For details on open calls, please refer to the Open Calls section. For more information about the application process, please refer to the Application Procedure section.

For the Elementary Training, participants can enroll in courses and events individually. For seed funding applications, applicants are required to form a team of one to five members, with the principal applicant serving as the point of contact.

No, the same project will not get funding support from different government funding schemes concurrently in order to avoid duplication of resources. Applicants are required to declare their applications whether the same proposal/ project has applied for or is currently applying for the SIE Fund.

We strongly encourage every potential applicant to join the Elementary Training, which equips participants with skill sets for social innovation and gives them a full picture of the 6-month incubation. Applicants for seed funding who attend at least 70% of the Elementary Training will receive a full score of “Commitment”, which accounts for 15% of the evaluation criteria.

Applicants for seed funding who attend at least 70% of the Elementary Training will receive a full score of “Commitment”, which accounts for 15% of the evaluation criteria.

The attendance rate of the Elementary Training will affect the total score of “Commitment”, which accounts for 15% of the evaluation criteria. If all team members’ attendance rate is at least 70% during the Elementary Training, the team will receive a full score of “Commitment”. If some of your team members attend less than 70% of the Elementary Training, the score of “Commitment” will be calculated based on the ratio of qualified team members: The total score (15%) will be divided by the total number of your team members, and then multiplied by the number of qualified team members. For example, if you have three members in total and two of them have attended at least 70% of the Elementary Training, the team’s score for “Commitment” is 10%.

Applicants for seed funding who attend at least 70% of the Elementary Training can carry over their attendance record to the next cohort. Please note that these applicants must participate in consecutive cohorts, and a record can only be carried over once. Applicants also have the option to rejoin the Elementary Training, but their attendance records for the two cohorts will not be combined. Applicants who are unable to meet the 70% attendance requirement can retake the Elementary Training, and their attendance record will start from zero. The aforementioned method of counting attendance applies only to Cohorts 1-7.

To avoid potential conflicts of interest, immediate family members of programme staff are not allowed to participate in the programme. If you have any concerns about a potential conflict of interest, please contact us.

Yes, you can submit multiple proposals, but each proposal should show its difference and uniqueness in terms of ideas and target groups.

For details, please refer to the Evaluation Criteria.

Applicants are not required to submit a proposal that follows the theme of the cohort. The theme is solely for conducting the courses and activities of the Elementary Training.

Yes, awarded projects can use the seed funding to pay the salaries of their team members.

Yes, awarded projects are required to register their business before the start of the incubation and to open a designated bank account with a licensed bank in Hong Kong to receive the seed funding and manage daily project expenses. The programme reserves  the right to defer or reject the grant once the awarded projects do not register the Business Registration Certificates and company’s bank accounts before the incubation. Also, any application fees of the aforementioned items should be paid by the awarded projects.

No, sole proprietorship, partnership and limited liability company are all eligible.

Yes, awarded projects must open a designated bank account with a licensed bank in Hong Kong. This account can only be used for the project awarded by Impact Innovation Lab, handling income and expenses related to it, such as receiving the seed funding and managing daily project expenses.

In addition to financial support, awarded projects will receive networking opportunities, where they can meet veterans and experts across various sectors and seek their expert insights. Awarded projects can also use a makerspace and a co-working space.

The seed funding will be disbursed to the awarded projects in three installments during the 6-month incubation period, with a ratio of 50:40:10. The grant disbursement is an advance payment, and the awarded projects are required to return any unspent balance from their completed projects to the programme.

Please contact us at [email protected] or +852 4638 0364. 

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STAY IN THE KNOW!

For enquiries or suggestions, please call our hotline (852) 4638 0364 or email us at [email protected].

Ms. Angie Zhou

Education Specialist

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Angie Zhou is an Education Specialist at MIT App Inventor. She was the founder and CEO of Dreams Come True in Shenzhen, where she developed online coding courses for kids. She also has previous curriculum development, teaching and staff training experience at First Code Academy in Hong Kong.