Launched in September 2014, the Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU) provides funding to students and professors of six local universities to start technology businesses and commercialise their research and development (R&D) results. On 20 December 2016, the Legislative Council Panel on Commerce and Industry supported the Government's proposal to continue TSSSU for another three years from 2017-18 to 2019-20.

Under TSSSU, an annual funding of up to HK$4 million is provided to each of the six local universities to support the development of the start-ups they recommend. Each approved start-up is funded for no more than three years with an annual funding capped at HK$1.2 million. The funding scope of TSSSU includes essential items for setting up and operating the start-ups, expenditures on R&D as well as promotional activities and marketing of their R&D deliverables, products or services.

In the past three years, TSSSU has provided funding of over HK$65 million to support 122 start-ups. These start-ups have made achievements in the realisation of their R&D results. For instance, the start-ups have put their products on trial, launched their products/services for sale, generated revenue, raised capital, and/or received international awards. Some examples of the TSSSU-funded start-ups are available at: goo.gl/7pjgPF



Applicant start-ups must be companies registered under the Companies Ordinance for not more than two years. Interested start-ups should submit their applications to the Knowledge Transfer Office/ Technology Transfer Office/ Entrepreneurial Centre of their associated universities. Each application will be reviewed by a selection panel, established by the university with relevant expertise and experience, under an appropriate assessment and selection mechanism operating in a fair, open and objective manner. Applications recommended by the universities will be forwarded to the Innovation and Technology Commission for agreement. For further information, please visit the website of TSSSU.

The six local universities are The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Baptist University and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.