Press Release

HKHS and Cyberport’s PropTech PoC Programme  2nd Cohort Celebration cum 3rd Cohort Welcoming Ceremony  
Harnessing AI in Construction and Property Management to Accelerate Smart City Development in Northern Metropolis

The Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) and Cyberport staged an event today (28 July) at Smart-Space PropTech, Hong Kong’s first PropTech co-working space established jointly by the two organisations, to celebrate the successful completion of the second phase of the PropTech Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Programme and showcase the innovative achievements of 14 start-ups over the past 18 months.  Another 11 new start-ups also officially joined the co-working space as the third cohort to kick off a new round of PoC and testing initiatives.  Since its inception, the programme has engaged around 40 start-ups, with several innovative solutions already implemented on the ground, driving the development of PropTech and enriching the innovation and technology ecosystem in the Northern Metropolis.

HKHS Chairman Prof Ling Kar-kan and Cyberport Chairman Simon Chan were the officiating guests of the event.  Among other guests were HKHS Chief Executive Officer James Chan, Cyberport Chief Executive Officer Dr Rocky Cheng, Director-General of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Financial Secretary’s Office Peter Yan, and representatives of the start-ups.

HKHS Chairman Prof Ling Kar-kan said, “As a ‘housing laboratory’, the Housing Society has always been bold in pioneering new initiatives.  In addition to our extensive experience in housing development and management, we also provide the start-ups with access to real-world application scenes in the communities, enabling them to test, validate, and optimise their solutions in actual circumstances.  The PropTech PoC Programme, launched jointly by the Housing Society and Cyberport, leverages this unique advantage to help promising innovation and technology solutions progress from exploration to application, from the laboratory to the community, that accelerates the transformation and implementation of their technological innovations.  This initiative aligns closely with the direction of the National 15^th Five-Year Plan to promote digital and intelligent transformation of industries and develop new quality productive forces, while supporting the Northern Metropolis to become an important engine of international innovation and technology hub.  With the successful completion of the second phase of the PoC Programme, several innovative property management solutions are deployed on the ground.  I look forward to seeing the third cohort of the start-ups build on this momentum by developing more forward-looking solutions, working together to cultivate a collaborative and win-win innovation ecosystem, and contributing to the building of smart and inclusive communities.”

Chairman of Cyberport Mr Simon Chan said, “Cyberport has been working closely with the Housing Society since 2022 to help start-ups transform innovative ideas from proof-of-concept into real-world applications, leveraging AI to enhance construction and property management while injecting new momentum into the accelerated development of the Northern Metropolis and Hong Kong’s smart city initiative.  We have also witnessed some of the programme’s early-stage start-ups successfully progress from proof-of-concept to commercialisation.  Their innovative solutions have not only been adopted in the Housing Society’s property management operations, but have also been deployed in its shopping centre, delivering smarter and more convenient service experiences for the community.  At the same time, participating start-ups have forged collaborative partnerships through the platform, combining their respective technological strengths to jointly develop innovative solutions that have subsequently been adopted by the industry.  This fully demonstrates that the co-working space and the PoC Programme not only facilitate the practical deployment of technology, but also drive cross-company collaboration and the commercialisation of innovation, showcasing the synergistic strengths of Cyberport’s I&T ecosystem.  The programme has successfully empowered Hong Kong start-ups to translate their innovative capabilities into market-ready PropTech solutions, demonstrating how technology can enhance the efficiency and quality of construction and property management, setting benchmarks for the industry and contributing to the accelerated development of the Northern Metropolis and its integration into the Greater Bay Area.”

Representatives from the second cohort start-ups shared their experiences at the event, highlighting the valuable experiences and fruitful results gained from completing over 20 field trials across rental housing estates under HKHS over the past 18 months.  They were accorded entrepreneurial guidance by Cyberport throughout the programme, and expanded their business and collaboration opportunities through workshops, business matching, and industry networking activities.  Beyond HKHS taking the lead in adopting several innovative solutions, some start-ups, facilitated by HKHS and Cyberport, successfully established partnerships with industry players to expand the scope of application of their solutions.  During the event, two start-ups from the second cohort demonstrated their innovative achievements.  One solution uses artificial intelligence (AI) image recognition technology to assess the value of residents’ vehicles in estates.  Another solution uses an AI assistant to integrate operational information from frontline property management personnel, achieving workflow automation and data-driven management to enhance information flow that facilitates property management decision-making.

Same as the preceding phases, the third phase of the programme will last 18 months.  A new cohort of 11 start-ups will focus on adopting AI, Internet of Things (IoT), modelling with 3D scanning, and Cantonese large language models, to solve pain points and enhance operational efficiency in property management and on construction sites.

In October 2022, HKHS and Cyberport launched a five-year collaborative programme to foster PropTech development.  In 2023, the Smart-Space PropTech co-working space was established at HKHS’s regional office in Fanling and rolled out the first phase of the PropTech PoC Programme.  Throughout the collaboration, HKHS provided funding support to start-ups and sharing by professional staff on housing development and management knowledge and experience.  Start-ups were also given opportunities to conduct field trials at HKHS’s rental estates, construction sites, and managed properties for PoC validation.  For its part, Cyberport provided entrepreneurial guidance and organised activities to facilitate start-ups to develop and implement innovative property-related tech products and solutions, along with efforts to promote industry-wide digital transformation and encourage young people to engage in innovation and technology for building a smart city.

Operating 24/7 and spanning two floors with a total floor area of 8,000 square feet, the PropTech co-working space “Smart-Space PropTech” offers start-ups a modern and cosy working environment that fosters collaboration and exchange.  It provides various types of offices, exhibition areas, meeting rooms, and leisure corners.  It also features the application and integration of smart technologies by deploying innovative tech products developed by Cyberport start-ups, including office robots and smart phone booths.