SUGA International Holdings Limited (“SUGA” or the “Group”) fully supports the “Hardware Journey” programme organised by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (“HKSTP”) and Hong Kong Startup Council (“Startup Council”) under the Federation of Hong Kong Industries. The programme, by linking the “industry-academic-research” sectors, aims to nurture next generation product design talent for Hong Kong and support local startups on launching the fruit of their research and development work to the market, so as to power re-industrialisation in the city.

 

In the eight-month programme, SUGA will guide students of the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong ("THEi") and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in using innovative technologies and Internet-of-Things to address the pain points of existing products in the market, and to design and develop ergonomic health/fitness wearables. SUGA will reserve internships, so that students may practise what they have learned after completing the relevant course.

 

In addition, to help participating startups prepare for the upcoming Hardware Journey Contest’s product design competition in December, SUGA had arranged a visit of the THEi students to the Group office showroom in mid September, discussing and sharing insights of "Product Opportunities and Strategies". SUGA will also hold a workshop in October to relate product design skills and related professional knowledge to participants, and be on the panel of judges in the product design competition.

 

Dr. Alfred Ng, Executive Director and Chief Technology Officer of SUGA, said, “The Hardware Journey programme is another valuable opportunity for the Group to cooperate with universities and startups, following our joint effort with City University of Hong Kong to set up a laboratory at the start of the year. We can directly understand their out-of-the-box and innovative ideas, and turn them into practical products for launch to market. At SUGA, we believe research and development is indispensable to promoting progress and development of the Group. Therefore, we will continue to actively pursue cooperation with different local organisations and tertiary institutions, support research and development activities in Hong Kong and transform ideas into products, so as to encourage more talent to embrace research and development work."

 

Co-organised by the HKSTP and the Startup Council, the "Hardware Journey" programme, which links the “industry-academic-research” sectors, brings together manufacturers, design schools and startups, to drive and transform creative ideas into new hardware electronics products for the market, thereby powering re-industrialisation in Hong Kong.