Hong Kong Fact Sheets/Creative Industries (December 2014)

by Government of Hong Kong

HONG KONG: THE FACTS

Creative Industries

Creative Industries: Creative industries are important economic drivers for Hong Kong. They help to increase the innovation capacity of the economy and can be a powerhouse for future economic growth. Hong Kong has developed a leading edge in key areas of creative industries like film, television, music, design, architecture, comics and animation, games and digital entertainment, etc. According to the latest statistics, Hong Kong has around 37 000 cultural and creative industry-related establishments, with more than 200 000 practitioners engaged. The cultural and creative industries create an added value to Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of nearly $98 billion annually, representing around 4.9% of the GDP.

Create Hong Kong: Create Hong Kong as an office dedicated to promoting the development of creative industries in Hong Kong was set up under the Communications and Technology Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau in June 2009. It provides one-stop services and better support to the industries.

The office adopts a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to implement a strategy to drive the creative industries covering seven areas:

(1) nurturing a pool of creative human capital which will form the backbone of Hong Kong's creative economy;

(2) facilitating start-ups and the development of creative establishments;

(3) generating demand for innovation and creativity and expanding local market size for creative industries;

(4) promoting creative industries on the Mainland and overseas to help explore outside markets;

(5) fostering a creative atmosphere within the community;

(6) developing creative clusters in the territory to generate synergy and facilitate exchanges; and

(7) promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital.

The office is responsible for the administration and management of funding schemes related to creative industries, overseeing the infrastructure for promoting design, i.e. the Hong Kong Design Centre, and providing funding support for the Design Incubation Programme at InnoCentre. It is also providing one-stop service for location filming in Hong Kong, for both local and overseas films, and is responsible for the regulatory control of special effects materials for film shooting and theatrical performances.

CreateSmart Initiative: The $300 million CreateSmart Initiative (CSI) was established in June 2009 to provide financial support to projects with objectives that are in line with the strategic direction to drive the creative industries. Starting from June 2011, the CSI has covered design-related projects which were previously funded by the DesignSmart Initiative (DSI). With the topping-up of another $300 million to CSI on 24 May 2013, the Design-Business Collaboration Scheme (DBCS) under the DSI, which encourages the wider use of design by small-and-medium-sized enterprises, was also placed under the CSI with effect from the same date. As at end of September 2014, a total of 398 CSI applications (other than DBCS) have been received. Among them, 194 projects have been approved involving $388.64 million funding. For DBCS under the CSI, 64 applications have been received, of which 27 have been approved involving $930,000 funding.

Film Development Fund: The $300 million injected into Film Development Fund (FDF) in July 2007 provides financial support for projects conducive to the long-term and healthy development of the local film industry. It aims to encourage more commercial investment in film productions, create a larger mass of film activity and more employment opportunities, and assist the film industry in revitalising and developing further. It will fund projects and activities including: providing limited funding support for small-to-medium budget film productions; enhancing efforts to promote Hong Kong films on the Mainland and overseas; enhancing initiatives to nurture talents in the various aspects of the film production and distribution; and enhancing the interest and appreciation of Hong Kong films by the local audience. As at end of September 2014, a total of 48 applications for financing film productions and 115 other film-related projects have been approved, involving $325.84 million funding.

Hong Kong Design Centre: The Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) has been a strategic partner of the Government in promoting design since its establishment in 2001. Founded by five leading design professional bodies in Hong Kong and supported by the Government, the HKDC aims to promote design as a value-adding activity; raise design standards and foster design-related education; and raise the profile of Hong Kong as an innovation and creative hub. Its highlight each year is the organisation of the Business of Design Week which has become a prestigious and major design event in the region. Recent partners for organising the event include Japan, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and Sweden.

Design Incubation Programme: The Design Incubation Programme (DIP), administered by the HKDC with funding support from the Government, aims at nurturing design start-ups at the InnoCentre. It enhances the competitiveness of the design start-ups at their early stage of development through the provision of office space, training programmes, consultancy service, mentorship, networking activities, as well as financial support on subsidised office rental and business operating expenses, etc. over a two-year incubation period. Since launch of the programme in 2006 till end of September 2014, 162 design incubatees have been admitted under the DIP.

Published by the Information Services Department, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government GovHK Website: http://www.gov.hk Information contained in this publication may be freely used. No acknowledgement is necessary.

CreateHK Home Page address: http://www.createhk.gov.hk

December 2014