Construction Innovation and Technology Fund to Support Construction 2.0

Hong Kong, 21 December 2021 — The Development Bureau (DEVB), in collaboration with the Construction Industry Council (CIC), announced that the mid-term review of the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund (CITF) has been completed and a series of enhancement measures will be launched to further support the industry in leveraging innovative construction technologies to enhance productivity and quality. The enhancement measures, including an uplifted funding ceiling, expanded funding scope and streamlined application procedures, will be applicable to applications received from 1 January 2022.

“The CITF has so far approved about 2 200 applications at a sum of around HKD550 million since its launch in October 2018, subsidising over 800 construction enterprises to promote wider use of innovative construction methods and technologies, with a view to uplifting productivity, construction quality, site safety and environmental performance. Since the launch of the CITF, the prominent increase in the number of construction projects adopting innovative technologies such as the use of Building Information Modelling, Modular Integrated Construction, advanced construction technologies and prefabricated steel reinforcing bars, as well as the upswing in industry practitioners receiving technology-related training, has proved the effectiveness of the CITF in supporting the industry to move towards ‘Construction 2.0’,” marked The Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong.

The Chairman of the CIC, Mr Chan Ka-kui, said, “We are delighted to see the enthusiasm of the main contractors, sub-contractors, consultants and their staff in applying for the CITF to adopt innovative technologies. As revealed from its mid-term review, the CITF has successfully raised the industry’s awareness in the adoption of innovative construction technology. With the support of the CITF, the industry has proactively sourced and adopted cutting-edge construction technologies like robotics, advanced construction materials, the Internet of Things (IoT), digitalisation, etc, which facilitate the sustainable development of the industry.”

The Chairperson of the Management Committee on the CITF, Mr Chan Chi-chiu, added, “We are grateful to the invaluable feedback collected from the industry in the mid-term review. We have accordingly drawn up a series of enhancement measures to meet the needs of the sector, including extending the funding scope and uplifting the funding ceiling for promoting the adoption of existing technologies and manpower training, and launching a pilot scheme to provide support for the manpower and other resources required in introducing new technologies for application in the industry.”

Details of the CITF enhancement measures are available on the CITF website. The CIC also invites the CITF applicants to share successful experiences on technology adoption. The CIC will also continue to organise outreach events and online platforms to support the industry, particularly the small and medium enterprises, to identify and adopt relevant innovative technologies. — Construction+ Online