Overview | Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation

About Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation

Established in 2012, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation (J.C.DISI) is a catalyst for transformative social change. We serve as a strategic vehicle advancing the University's commitment to social responsibility through human-centered approaches to society's most pressing challenges.

We are dedicated to driving social innovation through the “Inno for Good” strategic framework, which focuses on six key innovation streams: Aging for Good, Care for Good, Community for Good, Design and Service for Good, STEAMS for Good, and Tech for Good.

Vision

We strive to become a leading institute that triggers social innovation across all dimensions of society to improve the well-being of communities and people. Through our “Inno for Good” strategic framework, we focus on six key innovation streams:

Aging for Good: Addressing double aging challenges and developing silver economy opportunities
Care for Good: Reimagining inclusive, compassionate support systems and ecosystems
Community for Good: Building stronger, more resilient neighborhoods that enhance wellbeing
Design and Service for Good: Creating human-centered solutions that prioritize dignity and experience
STEAMS for Good: Adding social dimensions to education while nurturing future doers
Tech for Good: Deploying technology that serves humanity's needs

Mission

J.C.DISI provides a human-centred platform that CATALYZES social transformation through participatory approach, MOBILIZES diverse stakeholders across sectors and disciplines, EMPOWERS Inno for Good makers of all ages with essential skills and resources, TRANSFORMS complex challenges into opportunities through collective action, and DRIVES sustainable solutions with measurable social impact.

Our Approach

At the core of our work is a commitment to identifying critical gaps in society – the unmet needs, underserved populations, and systemic challenges that conventional approaches often overlook. We specialize in illuminating these gaps and developing innovative, targeted solutions to bridge them.

Participatory social innovation forms the foundation of our methodology. We combine transdisciplinary research with extensive stakeholder collaboration, engaging communities directly in the co-creation process. Our approach includes developing working prototypes and testing them in real-world scenarios to anticipate and address potential future changes. These prototypes serve as platforms for communities to initiate conversations and negotiate uncertain or emerging challenges. This gap-focused approach generates academic insights, practical applications and unique know-hows that address real-world needs, foster knowledge exchange, and enhance quality of life for all citizens.