The government has injected HK$2 billion into the Innovation and Technology Fund for Application in Elderly and Rehabilitation Care to support eligible elderly and rehabilitation service units in purchasing or renting technology products, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said on Thursday.
Speaking at the launch ceremony of the eRenteBuy Gerontech Online Platform, Sun noted that gerontechnology has become a widely recognized concept in the community. For such technology to truly benefit users, he said, “it must be credible, reliable, suitable for use, and affordable.”
He added that the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) has established credibility standards for products listed on the platform and has partnered with multiple mainland companies to provide high-quality choices at more accessible prices.
Hong Kong, he said, is well positioned to serve as a testing ground and shopping hub for gerontechnology products for Chinese communities worldwide.
Operated by HKCSS, the new online platform aggregates local and overseas gerontechnology devices aimed at supporting community care and rehabilitation training for older adults.
At the Gerontech and Innovation Expo cum Summit (GIES), HKCSS vice president Bernard Charnwut Chan said the expo complements the government’s initiatives under the I&T Fund and reflects broader efforts to nurture the city’s growing silver economy.
He pointed out that the General Requirements of Dysphagia Diet for Elderly (Care Food), developed by HKCSS, was included in the Greater Bay Area standard list in September — becoming the first industry-led standard to drive coordinated development in elderly care across the GBA.
Chan also said the International Federation on Ageing’s 18th Global Conference on Ageing, to be held in 2027, will focus on integrating technological and policy innovation, with particular attention to elderly services in the GBA and the Asia-Pacific region.
The conference will showcase Hong Kong’s innovative practices and strengthen its connections with regional and global markets.
The four-day expo and summit, co-hosted by the government and HKCSS, features more than 270 exhibitors and displays nearly 1,000 gerontechnology products and applications from around the world.
Among them are social companion robots powered by artificial intelligence that can engage in conversation and even dance, offering companionship and reducing loneliness among the elderly.
