HONG KONG, Nov. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The presentation ceremony for the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 was held in the evening of November 22 with MTR Corporation / The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology being presented the Award of the Year from the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan. MTR Corporation / The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is also the winner of the Smart Mobility Grand Award, surpassing seven other category winners with its winning entry "Public transport ridership simulation and railway planning – MTR to Keep Cities Moving".

Mr Chan said, "The ICT Awards put a deserved spotlight on the remarkable talent, creativity and dedication of the people seeking to harness technology to reinvent products and services, to improve efficiency, to offer better care to the needy, and ultimately to make our lives and the world better."

Noting this year's Hong Kong ICT Awards has introduced the "Best Use of AI" Award, Mr Chan said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government believes in the vast potential of artificial intelligence (AI) which is a sweeping force in boosting productivity and enhancing the competitiveness of economy. And the Government has been working on multiple fronts to make it thrive, through supporting research and development, nurturing startups, fostering cross-boundary and cross industry collaboration, attracting strategic enterprises, and building the related infrastructure, including a supercomputing centre.

The Hong Kong ICT Awards aims to recognise and promote outstanding local Information and Communications Technology (ICT) innovations and applications. It has been well-received as an annual flagship event of the local industry since its debut in 2006. In addition to encouraging and recognising local innovations, the Awards also serves as a springboard to help the winners and their products enter the Mainland and overseas markets. 

Organised by the Digital Policy Office and supported by the collaborative efforts of eight Leading Organisers, the Steering Committee, the Standards Assurance Sub-committee, the Grand Judging Panel, the Marketing and Promotion Sub-committee, judges, supporting organisations and industry associations, this year's competition concluded successfully. The Chairman of the Grand Judging Panel, the President of Lingnan University, Professor Joe Qin, congratulated the awardees and praised their innovative solutions for bringing unlimited possibilities to life and benefiting society as a whole. 

Professor Qin said, "In the era of artificial intelligence, the newly introduced 'Best Use of AI Award' inspires further innovative applications, ensuring that information and communications technology remains in tune with the times and sustainable development." He firmly believes that education, technology, and talent are closely interconnected and encourages everyone to experiment and to contribute to shaping a brighter future together. 

The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, presented trophies to the eight winners of Grand Awards to commend their outstanding performance. The awardees are: 

Besides, the winning entry "Medisafe" has fully demonstrated effective application of computational thinking for problem-solving, as well as students' great potential in the field of ICT. As such, the Grand Judging Panel unanimously recommended Ms Clarisse Poon of St. Paul's Co-educational College to receive the "Special Recognition Award" as an encouragement and commendation for her remarkable performance. The award was presented by Professor Qin to Ms Poon.  Detailed information of the winners and the event are available on the website of the Hong Kong ICT Awards (www.hkictawards.hk).

Download captioned photos and more:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wwBCs377rOfqsk70gPYocvampRb-lhcf?usp=sharing