Events

How does social innovation take shape in real communities, and what role can research play in this process?

The Knowledge Transfer Office is pleased to co-host the workshop Community in Action: Reimagining Community through Fortune Multiplex, with Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVhk). This interactive workshop offers an opportunity to engage with social innovation practitioners and explore how research can be part of this meaningful community-based initiatives.

Participants will gain insights into SVhk’s journey in advancing social innovation, featuring key initiatives such as Fortune Multiplex, a transformed tong-lau (唐樓) in Sham Shui Po that integrates co-living, co-working, and co-caring spaces as a vibrant vertical community.

The workshop is designed with a mix of sharing, dialogue, and hands-on engagement, including sharing session by SVhk, introducing the evolution of social innovation in Hong Kong and showcasing recent community initiatives, and Human Library, where participants can engage in small-group conversations with community innovators and CUHK peers, fostering deeper reflection and exchange of perspectives. Building on these insights, participants will work in groups to generate ideas for potential collaborations or community-linked initiatives in a co-creation session.

Event Details
Date: 12 May 2026
Time: 14:30 – 17:30
Venue: UGA, InnoPort, CUHK
Language: Cantonese
Registration: Online Registration

We warmly invite CUHK academics and researchers who are interested in social innovation and community engagement to join us for this collaborative experience.

Speakers
Mr Francis NGAI
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Social Ventures Hong Kong

Francis Ngai is the Founder and CEO of Social Ventures Hong Kong. Since 2007, he’s been dedicated to impact design for the future urban city. His social innovation portfolio includes Hong Kong’s first venture philanthropy fund, Community Resilience Fund, Green Monday, Bottless, RunOurCity, LightBe affordable housing, Playtao Education, HATCH women empowerment initiative, COMM,ON co-caring space, Institute of Community Making, and COMSMOS impact consultancy, among others. Through impact strategy consulting and building collective platforms for corporates, family foundations, and government departments, SVhk is committed to creating integrated impact solutions across all sectors in the city.

Francis serves as an advisor to organizations such as AVPN, Project Melo, HK Social Enterprise Summit, the Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation, and the Social Welfare Advisory Committee. He has received Honorary Fellowships from City University of Hong Kong and the Education University of Hong Kong, and was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum as well as one of Hong Kong’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons. An avid runner, Francis has completed both The North Pole Marathon and the 250-km Gobi March of the 4 Deserts race series.

Ms Harmony LI
Chief Community Officer, Social Ventures Hong Kong
Chief Empowerment Officer, HATCH
Chief Empowerment Officer, COMM,ON

Harmony Li is the Chief Community Officer at Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVhk) and the Chief Empowerment Officer of impact ventures HATCH and COMM,ON. She leads impact ventures dedicated to unleashing talent and transforming individuals into change agents within the workplace and the wider community. With over 15 years of experience in the "for-purpose" sector, Harmony is a specialist in driving bottom-up participation and fostering cross-sectoral collaborations to address complex social challenges.

For enquiries, please contact Ms Janie Chan. We look forward to your participation in this meaningful workshop!