Co-organised by the College of Science and the Office of the Provost, the CityU Science Patent Challenge 2022 has attracted talented young inventors from secondary schools to propose creative and feasible ways to solve real life problems. It came to the climax of the Final Pitch on 18 February.
At the final pitch, shortlisted teams took the challenge to present their innovative ideas on stage to the four judges, Professor Chun-Sing Lee, Dean of the College of Science, Professor Jianping Wang, Assistant Provost (Strategic Planning and Quality Assurance), Professor Shuk Han Cheng, Chair Professor of Molecular Medicine, and Mr. Jason Chiu, Chairman of Hong Kong Startup Council under Federation of Hong Kong Industries.
On behalf of the judging panel, Professor Chun-Sing Lee, highly commented the teams' performance as “impressive”, particularly on their quick responses to the challenging questions raised by the judges in the Q&A sessions. “We hope that regardless of the prize you have received today, keep your curiosity and be happy to take up further challenges in your study and discovery journey,” said Professor Lee. He encouraged all secondary school students to chase their dreams and continue to build a better future with innovations and protect them with intellectual properties.
The impressive performances of the teams made it challenging for the judging panel to make the decision on the awards.
Here's the full list of winners (in alphabetical order):
- Gold Award: Diocesan Girls' School
- Silver Award: Heep Yunn School, Hoi Ping Chamber of Commerce Secondary School, Po Leung Kuk Ngan Po Ling College
- Bronze Award: Pope Paul VI College, St. Paul's School (Lam Tin), Wah Yan College Kowloon, Yew Chung International School - Hong Kong
Although satisfied with their performance on stage, team members from Diocesan Girls' School said that winning the Gold Award was out of their expectations. “Other teams’ ideas must also be brilliant and we face intense competition, so it is an honour for us in getting the Gold Award,” said Crystal Lee, the team leader. The team learnt a lot during the process of designing the prototype, “we will continue to work on the prototype and hope one day it will become a product.” They encouraged their fellow students to join the Science Patent Challenge.
CityU Science Patent Challenge aims to introduce the concept of intellectual property to secondary school students and to excite their passion for science. Each of the Gold Award and Silver Award winning teams will receive a full fee for the application of a Hong Kong short-term patent in consultation with the patent attorney, Mr. Steven Fung, appointed by the College.