Enterprise Support Scheme (ESS)

Enterprise Support Scheme

Objective

Launched in 2015, ESS aims to provide funding support for local companies to conduct in-house research and development (R&D) work with a view to encouraging the private sector to invest in R&D.

Eligibility

A company will be eligible to apply if it –

  1. is incorporated in Hong Kong;
  2. has a current business registration certificate;
  3. is not a government subvented organisation12; and
  4. is not a subsidiary of any government subvented organisation12.

Key Features

Application

ESS invites applications for funding all year round. Please read the following documents before submission of application.

Announcement:

With effect from 31 January 2024, the upper quotation limit of procurement for goods and services stipulated in the "Enterprise Support Scheme (ESS) - Guide to Filling in the Application Form" and the "ESS – Funding and Administration Guidelines for Successful Applicants" has been revised from $1,400,000 to $1,360,000. This new quotation limit applies to ESS applications first submitted through the Innovation and Technology Commission Funding Administrative System on or after this date. For applications submitted to the Innovation and Technology Commission before 31 January 2024, the upper quotation limit of $1,400,000 prevails.

The Applicant must duly complete and sign the Application Form. The Application Form should be submitted together with all necessary information and supporting documents. Applications must be submitted to the ESS Secretariat –

  1. through the Innovation and Technology Commission Funding Administrative System ("ITCFAS"); and
  2. in one duly signed and stamped original hard copy.
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Assessment

Upon submission of all the required information and documents by the enterprise, project application will be considered by an assessment panel comprising independent experts in the innovation and technology sector based on the following components:

Frequently Asked Questions

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What is the application procedure? What documents are required?

The ESS Secretariat will send an acknowledgment to the Applicant upon receipt of the application. The application will be screened to ensure that the Applicant meets the eligibility requirements and the Application Form is duly completed and the requisite supporting documents are submitted, etc.

The checked Application Form and appended documentation will be submitted to the ESS Assessment Panel for consideration. The Panel will consider and make recommendation to the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology (CIT) on whether the application should be supported. In the event that the application is recommended for funding support, the Panel will require the Applicant to address its comments on the application (e.g. scope, budget and milestones, etc.).

The finalised Application Form together with other necessary documents as requested by the Secretariat should be submitted within three months from the date of notification, to seek CIT's approval for funding.

Where an application is approved, the Applicant shall enter into a fund agreement with the Government and is required to comply with the terms and conditions therein, including report of project progress and expenditure, submission of reports and audited accounts, etc.

The Applicant should submit a copy of the following as attachment(s) with the application – (a) Certificate of Incorporation issued by the Companies Registry; (b) a valid Business Registration Certificate; (c) latest Annual Return (or the Incorporation Form for newly established company); (d) Notice of Change of Company Secretary and Director (Appointment/Cessation) (if any); (e) Notice or Certificate of Change of Company Name (if any); and (f) organisation chart of the Applicant's company (and its company group, if any) as proof of its company's conformity with the eligibility criteria of the ESS.

To effectively present the merits of the proposed project, the Applicant shall submit the information and other supporting documents as requested in the ESS Guide to Filling in the Application Form and the notes provided in the Application Form.

What are the vetting criteria?

The Applicant and its application will be considered by an assessment panel comprising independent experts in the innovation and technology sector and will be assessed in accordance with the following criteria and weightings –

  1. Innovation and Technology Component (25%);
  2. Technical and Management Capability (20%);
  3. Financial Considerations (15%);
  4. Commercial Viability of Project Deliverables (30%); and
  5. Relevance in Overall Interest of the Community or with Government Policies (10%).

To obtain approval and funding, an application needs to pass each of the vetting criteria.

How long will the application process take?

An Applicant could normally be notified of the vetting result in around 2 months upon submission of all the required information and documents. In the event that the Project is recommended for funding support by the Assessment Panel, the applicant is required to, within three months, revise the proposal to address the relevant comments and submit supplementary information along with the supporting documents before signing the fund agreement.

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