Dear iProA Members and Friends,

People often say, “things happening in iProA take on internet speed.” It is not until I assumed the position as the President of iProA that I can fully appreciate how time flies amidst our packed event schedule.  The iProA newsletter is the major platform for our members and friends to keep abreast of the news and events of iProA and I am pleased to share with you thoughts around some recent happenings concerning ICT industry and give you an account on our upcoming events.  

I believe as a member of the ICT industry, you would probably share with us the concern over removing the word “Technology” from the names of all government bureaux in the HKSAR Government’s proposed move to realign all policy bureux. The renaming has already caused a significant number of industry players to petition against it and demand that the word “Technology” be put back to the newly proposed Commerce and Economic Bureau.  Some may argue it is just a matter of naming, but our concern goes beyond that, as it reflects that our Government does not seem to recognize the strategic importance of ICT in Hong Kong’s long term development.

In the recently published Global Information Technology Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Hong Kong has already shown an alarming trend of decline in ranking in the Networked Readiness Index (NRI),   from 7^th in 2004-05 to 12^th in 2006-07.  Our neighbor, Singapore ranks 3^rd in this year.  If ICT’s strategic value were not recognized by our Government, the impact would not be just confined to the ICT sector, but to the whole economy of Hong Kong.  As such, this is an issue that concerns the whole economy of Hong Kong.     iProA  has decided to hold a press conference on coming Tuesday, 12 June 2007 to share our analysis of the WEF Global IT Report and our advocacy for a long term policy on ICT development.  I sincerely hope that I can see you there and have your support for our advocacy.

June would be a busy month for iProA to kick off a number of new initiatives.  The kick-off ceremony for HK ICT Award: Innovation and Research category, in which iProA had been awarded as the leading organizer, would be held on 22 June 2007.  As an extension of last year’s eYouth category, the Innovation and Research Award would encompass a larger participation, from secondary school students, college students to academia as well as the open public.  Through the delivery of the Award, iProA is committed to ensure the culture of innovation and research is cultivated among our community.  Another new initiative in Digital Lifestyle will have its first event later this month.  Building on Hong Kong’s rich development of digital contents and its leading role in entertainment business in the region, the Digital Lifestyle initiative is a new concept to integrate people and technology and definitely would bring exciting developments to Hong Kong’s ICT community.  Details of the aforementioned events would be distributed to you soon.  I sincerely look forward to seeing you in our upcoming events!

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Winnie Tang

President, iProA

iProA Newsletter: June 2007