Page 44 - OHKF_Gerontech_report_en
P. 44

Currently, the GT Platform is seeking to remedy this gap in   EPIC therefore provides trainees with a comprehensive
               understanding by having HKPC and the Hong Kong Science    understanding of the social and ethical dimensions of the
               and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) lead study tours   gerontech industry. Referencing the AGE-WELL case, we
               through their Network & Capacity Building functionality. These   recommend the GT Platform to provide a specific training
               study tours bring supply-side product developers to physically   course for start-ups that covers the biopsychosocial
               visit various elderly or rehabilitation service units, as well as   contexts of ageing, disability, and rehabilitation,  as well as
                                                                                                                     17
               bring demand-side social care professionals to visit tech-related   the operational context and requirements of the elderly and
               exhibitions to better understand latest technological products   rehabilitation services sector, such as different service units’
               and trends. These tours do indeed fill the understanding gap   regulatory requirements.
               between supply- and demand-side; yet, because they are
               one-off events, there is little space for structured follow-up. As
               such, there is an opportunity to provide more systematic and
                                                                         1.3 Import & Export
               holistic training to further minimise the communication and
               understanding gap between the two sides.                  One of the most persistent problems within Hong Kong’s
                                                                         gerontechnology ecosystem is Hong Kong’s limited market
               Canada’s national technology and ageing network is called   size (Gap 15). Stakeholders indicated in our survey that there is
               AGE-WELL, which is an initiative that gathers all relevant   virtually no improvement in this area (score 0.05). Unfortunately,
               stakeholders together to develop technologies and services for   small market size causes the simultaneous problem of difficulty
               healthy aging (AGE-WELL About, 2021). One of AGE-WELL’s   for local companies to sustain themselves by only relying on
               key goals includes training the next generation of innovators,   Hong Kong’s domestic market, as well the lack of incentive
               which is primarily done through their Early Professionals, Inspired   for overseas companies to import and localise products into
               Careers (EPIC) training programme. As depicted in Figure 11,   Hong Kong’s market. We therefore need to consider how to
               EPIC trains participants to understand the physical, social, and   help local gerontech companies with export opportunities, while
               psychological dimensions of ageing; ethical guidelines within   also increasing the incentive and ease for overseas gerontech
               the gerontech industry; as well as key information about the   companies to import and localise their products. To tackle this
               Canadian healthcare system. The training is required for anyone   problem, we will first distinguish between increasing the import
               who is receiving funding from AGE-WELL and free to all AGE-  and export flow within the Greater Bay Area (GBA), and then
               WELL members (AGE-WELL EPIC, 2021).                       between Hong Kong and other international entities.


               17  The biopsychosocial model posits that biological, psychological, and social factors all play a significant role in health and disease—not just biological factors (Borrell-Carrió et al., 2004).



      42
   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49