To generate societal and community impact by fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, PolyU devises and drives various initiatives to enrich and support its members in their entrepreneurial pursuits. Among them are the PolyU GBA Startup Postdoc Programme and the PolyU Micro Fund Scheme, both of which are now calling for applications.

PolyU GBA Startup Postdoc Programme
The first of its kind in Asia, the programme aims to help doctoral graduates pursue their ambition as “technopreneurs”. It offers dual career prospects globally for recent doctoral graduates with a strong passion and vision to commercialise their research technologies while exploring startup opportunities in Hong Kong or Shenzhen.

In the pilot programme in 2019, six selected postdocs from PolyU’s Shenzhen Base joined hands with their supervisors to create six startups, five of which were admitted to various (pre-)incubation programmes. They also won nine national and regional awards, obtained HK$12.5M follow-on grants and subsidies, and raised at least HK$2.2M from angel investors.

The structured programme provides a competitive salary and benefits, entrepreneurship training, dual mentorship by academia and industrialists, and preferential IP licensing terms to transform doctoral graduates into technopreneurs and translate research outcomes into real-world impact.

PolyU Micro Fund (MF) Scheme
The PolyU MF is the first funding initiative to cultivate an innovative and entrepreneurial culture in the PolyU community and to promote knowledge transfer and commercialisation of PolyU’s innovations and technologies. Launched in 2011, the PolyU MF has been nurturing 600+ socially responsible young people with 190+ startups with a “Do Well Do Good” entrepreneurship spirit through hands-on business endeavours.

Starting in 2021, the PolyU MF has enhanced pipelining to public incubators such as the HKSTP Ideation and Incubation Programme, Cyberport Incubation Programme, Design Incubation Programme by the HKDC and Good Seed by the SIE Fund. Each awarded startup does not only receive a seed fund of up to HK$120,000 from PolyU, but also much needed pre-incubation support of up to HK$1.29M from other incubators.

What is more, a 5-week market validating training is provided to connect PolyU MF finalists with industry mentors and help them search for potential markets. PolyU aims to bolster their implementation of high-quality business propositions with a positive social impact. Through the PolyU MF, PolyU students and alumni can acquire resources and support to establish their new ventures.

Call for applications

PolyU GBA Startup Programme 2022 @ Hong Kong / Shenzhen

Application deadline: 21 April 2022 (1:00 pm)

For more information, please click here.

PolyU Micro Fund 2022

Application deadline: 19 April 2022 (1:00 pm)

For more information, please click here.