Secondary School IT Innovation Laboratory Project

The Secondary School IT Innovation Lab is a programme aimed at promoting interest in information technology and innovative thinking among secondary school students in Hong Kong. The scheme, implemented by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, provides funding to publicly-funded secondary schools to upgrade their IT equipment and facilities and to organise IT-related extra-curricular activities.

The purpose of the plan is as follows:

• Provide a subsidy of up to $1 million to each aided secondary school to purchase the necessary information technology equipment and professional services.
• Organize more extracurricular activities related to information technology to deepen students’ understanding of new information technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, big data, etc.
• Establish a good information technology foundation to prepare young people for their future development.

In addition, the program aims to cultivate secondary school students' interest in information technology, strengthen their innovative thinking, and create an information technology learning atmosphere to encourage them to choose college courses in related technology fields and join the innovation and technology industry in the future.

The process of applying for the IT Innovation Lab is as follows:

1. During the plan period, you can visit the official website (https://www.it-lab.gov.hk/en/application.php)Submit your application online.
2. Submit an annual plan detailing the proposed IT-related activities, IT equipment and services to be procured, budget breakdown and the expected use of funds.
3. A hard copy of the annual plan signed by the principal and stamped with the school seal must be mailed to the OGCIO One-Stop Support Centre within five working days after the online application is submitted.
4. Schools may submit modification applications throughout the year to request additional funding or to modify approved activities.
5. The review process generally takes approximately one month or longer from the date the application is received, depending on the completeness of the application, the volume of applications being processed at the time, and the scheduling of the review committee meetings.

Please note that while applications are accepted year-round, schools that wish to receive funding or have their applications processed before the end of the fiscal year on March 31 should submit their applications on or before February 1. Schools can also submit draft applications to the One Stop Support Centre in advance for advice.

All publicly-funded secondary schools, including the following types of schools, are eligible to apply:

• Government Secondary School
• Aided secondary schools (including special schools)
• Caput secondary schools
• Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) Secondary Schools

It is worth noting that the scheme is currently in an extension period, with the latest funding period being from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 academic year.

School IT Innovation Lab (Middle School IT Innovation Lab and Primary School Funny IT Shiduoduo) Application Guidelines

The scope of professional services under the funding scheme includes:

1. Procurement and maintenance of IT equipment and infrastructure:

   • Server and client hardware and software
   • Optical fiber and broadband network
   • Cloud Services and Storage
   • The equipment must be directly related to and necessary for the proposed IT-related extracurricular activities.

2. Professional services to support IT related activities:

   • Cloud services and related support
   • Professional services for maintenance and learning support

3. Organizing extracurricular activities related to information technology:

   • Workshops, seminars and short courses
   • Local visits and experience activities
   • Participate in local and non-local competitions
   • Organize exhibitions to showcase students' innovative achievements

4. Training courses:

   • Programming courses (such as Python, APP development)
   • Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality Courses
   • Artificial Intelligence Training
   • Drone Programming
   • Robotics
   • Information Technology Application and Digital Transformation

It should be noted that the funding for the procurement of IT equipment, infrastructure and related services should generally not exceed HK$500,000 (during the entire programme period). Schools need to clearly justify these expenditures, explaining why they are necessary for the proposed activities and how the equipment and services will be fully utilized.

Funding ceiling:

• During the three-year funding period (2023/24 to 2025/26 academic year), each secondary school can receive a maximum funding of HK$1 million.

Eligible Purposes:

1. Procurement and maintenance of IT equipment and infrastructure such as servers, hardware and software, network equipment, cloud services, etc. which must be directly related to the proposed IT-related extracurricular activities.
2. Obtain relevant professional services (such as cloud services) to support IT-related activities.
3. Organise IT-related extra-curricular activities such as workshops, seminars, short courses, local visits and experiential activities.
4. Participate in local and non-local competitions and organize exhibitions to showcase students' innovative achievements.
5. To cover operating expenses and administrative costs directly related to these activities.

limit:

1. Generally speaking, funding for the procurement of IT equipment, infrastructure and related services should not exceed HK$500,000.
2. School-wide network infrastructure upgrades or e-learning network infrastructure that are not directly related to the proposed IT innovation activities are not within the scope of funding.
3. Non-local study tours, teacher training not directly related to subsidized activities, use of information technology to support general teaching and promotional items such as souvenirs and prizes are usually not covered by the subsidy.

After the application is approved, participating schools need to assume the following responsibilities:

1. Program Management:

   • Responsible for planning, managing and implementing activities under the funding scheme
   • Designate a teacher to be responsible for the planning, management and implementation of the project and inform OGCIO of any changes in the responsible teacher

2. Financial Responsibility:

   • To cover the long-term recurring costs of procuring IT equipment, infrastructure and professional services after the project ends
   • Set up a separate bank account (aided, DSS and caput schools) or use a separate user code (government schools)
   • Any interest earned from the grant must be used for program purposes
   • Submit audited final financial report within three months after the end of the program
   • Unused funding balances must be returned to OGCIO upon completion of the project.

3. Reporting Responsibilities:

   • Submit an annual report to OGCIO by August each year, detailing the activities, expenditure and use of equipment and services
   • Submit together with next year's plan
   • The report should include statistics such as the level and number of students participating in the activity and the venue used.

4. asset Management:

   • Maintain and regularly update appropriate records for inventory management
   • Record IT equipment or items costing HK$1,000 or more and with a useful life of more than one year in the asset register
   • Reselling assets for a profit within three years of purchase is generally not permitted

5. Procurement Procedures:

   • Follow an open, fair and competitive process
   • Comply with relevant guidelines issued by the Education Bureau and the government

6. intellectual property:

   • Participating schools retain the intellectual property rights in any material created or developed under the program
   • However, a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence is granted to the Government to use, reproduce and disseminate these materials for educational and promotional purposes

The diversity of successful applications demonstrates the broad range of IT-related activities supported by the program:

1. Programming related:

   • We Can Code (Workshop for Secondary 1 to 4 students) - Funding amount: $510,000
   • Python Programming Bootcamp and Application Development Courses

2. Emerging Technology Courses:

   • Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Courses
   • Internet of Things and Smart Home Courses
   • Special Topic on Artificial Intelligence
   • Exploring Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Technology - Funding Amount: $550,000

3. Diversified technical course portfolio:

   • Comprehensive courses such as 3D image production, machine learning introduction, artificial intelligence basics, drone programming, etc. - Funding amount: $911,836
   • A wide range of workshops and courses covering Python programming, game design, AI application development, virtual reality, IoT, etc. - Grant amount: $979,700
   • Multiple training courses including virtual reality/augmented reality, basic artificial intelligence production, intelligent mechanical device production, AI-900 certificate, Python training camp, etc. - Funding amount: $1,000,000

4. Competition and practical application:

   • The school participated in and won awards in various robotics competitions, such as the CREATE US Open Robotics Championship and the Hong Kong Youth Robotics Competition
   • Mobile App Programming and Virtual Reality Game Design Projects

The latest funding period of the scheme is from the 2023/24 to 2025/26 academic year, a total of three years. This is an extension of the scheme, the original funding period was from the 2020/21 to 2022/23 academic year. The program continues to receive government support and has been extended, reflecting the government’s emphasis on information technology education and its recognition of the program’s effectiveness.