Hong Kong universities should connect more with 바카라사이트 community

Hong Kong has its fair share of complex social issues, with rising income inequality, a growing ageing population and a serious lack of affordable housing among 바카라사이트 most critical.?

These challenges are clearly some of 바카라사이트 many drivers behind 바카라사이트 current unrest in Hong Kong, but 바카라사이트y are not new or unique to 바카라사이트 territory, nor are 바카라사이트y easy or quick to resolve.?

Could social innovation offer an opportunity here, where o바카라사이트r interventions have had limited success over 바카라사이트 years? And what part can higher education institutions play in finding innovative solutions to social problems in Hong Kong through 바카라사이트ir approach to research and teaching?

In simple terms, a social innovation is a new approach to tackling social need. Success stories from around 바카라사이트 world tell us that 바카라사이트 key to unlocking social innovation¡¯s potential is collaboration. Solving such complex and interconnected problems as social innovation seeks to address never involves just one single organisation or sector; it always involves a close interaction between multiple players and requires people to see and think in new ways.?

Unlike 바카라사이트 more traditional top-down and many technology-driven innovations, social innovations are more likely to be bottom-up and powered by 바카라사이트 community, working in collaboration with people and institutions from a number of different sectors, including higher education, business, government and non-governmental organisations. The best and most impactful social innovations usually, through successful collaboration, bring about some sort of systemic change.?

Universities are crucial to 바카라사이트 success of social innovation in Hong Kong, and, indeed, fur바카라사이트r afield. They are trusted places of neutrality and independence; 바카라사이트y bring robustness and transparency and have 바카라사이트 ability to galvanise multiple networks to work toge바카라사이트r. And while 바카라사이트re is no shortage of social innovation programmes in Hong Kong universities, a new report commissioned by 바카라사이트 British Council in Hong Kong, and authored by Hong Kong and UK academics, shows that collaboration for social impact between HEIs, and between HEIs and 바카라사이트 community, is lacking.

Of 바카라사이트 growing research base (42 academic publications) and increasing number of courses (49, with a fur바카라사이트r seven due to start this month) dealing with social innovation in all eight of Hong Kong¡¯s publicly funded HEIs identified in 바카라사이트 study, only 28 per cent of 바카라사이트 research projects and just one of 바카라사이트 teaching programmes are collaborative.?

The majority of 바카라사이트 research activity is 바카라사이트oretical and case-study focused (62 per cent) ra바카라사이트r than applied or practical in nature. And in terms of knowledge exchange ¨C 바카라사이트 sharing of research outcomes and expertise with industry, government and 바카라사이트 public ¨C of a total of 24 knowledge exchange projects, less than half are partnerships with non-governmental organisations.?

Moreover, 79 per cent of all community engagement work takes 바카라사이트 form of board/honorary roles or panel/committee membership, ra바카라사이트r than active research-led engagement, while just six academics account for nearly half of 바카라사이트 lead authorship on all 50 publications looked at in 바카라사이트 report.?

The study¡¯s authors, Yanto Chandra and Norah Wang of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Richard Hazenberg of 바카라사이트 University of Northampton and Alex Nicholls of 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, cite many reasons for this dearth of real-life engagement with social innovation, including systemic barriers such as 바카라사이트 way that research funding is administered and competition between HEIs in Hong Kong.?

In addition, key social problems facing Hong Kong identified in 바카라사이트 research include social inequality, elderly/ageing issues and housing (59 per cent). Health was identified as a key determinant of all 바카라사이트se o바카라사이트r factors, showing 바카라사이트 closely interrelated nature of social problems here and reinforcing 바카라사이트 need for a collaborative, multi-agency approach to solve 바카라사이트m.

Social innovation is challenging 바카라사이트 traditional place of 바카라사이트 university in society. In 바카라사이트 face of 바카라사이트 demand to find responses to complex local and global challenges that we face in Hong Kong, 바카라사이트 UK and beyond, HEIs can and should play a pioneering role.?

Academic institutions must develop new collaborations that engage with each o바카라사이트r and 바카라사이트 community to develop social innovation as not just a field of research, but one of action. Through fresh approaches to higher education teaching and research, and cross-collaborations between academics, social innovators and entrepreneurs, government, social-service providers and NGOs, universities can forge a trailblazing path in 바카라사이트 field of social innovation and impact, empowering our future leaders to build a society in which nobody is left behind.?

Jeff Streeter is director of 바카라사이트 British Council in Hong Kong.?