Terms and Conditions

1. REGISTRATION

(i) Participants of Open Group and University/Tertiary Institute Group must have successfully registered and created a user account on the Site to be eligible for participating in the Grand Challenge and must have truthfully and accurately completed all requisite information where indicated. Participants of Secondary School Group (Lower and Upper) and Primary School Group will NOT require registration of any user account to be a Participant.

(ii) For successful registration, a confirmation email containing an activation code will be sent to the email address provided in the registration form. Incomplete registration forms will not be considered.

(iii) Participation in the Grand Challenge is free of charge and no Participant shall be obliged to pay a fee to the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner in connection with his/her participation in the Grand Challenge.

2. GROUPS

The Grand Challenge is open to both local participation and non-local participation (for Open Group and University/Tertiary Institute Group only). The Grand Challenge is divided into the following groups and eligibility of Participants should be based on their status at the time of making the Submission.

(i) Open Group

• Persons in Hong Kong or from outside of Hong Kong who are 16 years of age or above
• Submission Requirements
  • Select one sub-theme and describe the solution by answering 3 questions in English or Chinese (maximum 100 words each)
  • Elaborate the mechanism of the solution with a presentation deck in PDF or PPT format (maximum 10 slides and 30MB)
  • Optional: A URL link to a YouTube video (maximum 3 minutes)
  • Optional: Cover images in JPG or PNG format (maximum 3 and maximum 2MB each)
  • Questions to be answered
    1. User pain points – Who are the target beneficiaries? How can your idea/solution solve your identified problem?
    2. Solution’s benefits to user and community – What benefits will your idea/solution bring to the beneficiaries? By implementing your idea/solution, how will the norm and the society be impacted? How quickly and easily will the society realise the change? Explain the ease of mass adoption in the society. What are the advantages of your idea/solution over the existing products and solutions on the market?
    3. Innovation and technologies applied – What is the innovativeness of your idea/solution? What are the technologies adopted in your idea/solution?
• Semi-Pitch
  • Submit a 2-page written proposal by filling out a template
  • A 3-minute face-to-face presentation (virtual presentation for Participants outside Hong Kong)
  • A presentation deck in PDF or PPT format (maximum 10 slides and 30MB)
  • Images/videos of work-in-progress solution/prototype (if applicable)
  • A 5-minute Q&A by judging panel
  • Information to be filled out in written proposal
    • Target user(s)
    • User problem(s)
    • Your I&T solution
    • Product development status
    • Team members and relevant qualifications/experience
• Grand Pitch
  • A 3-minute on-stage presentation (Optional: live demo)
  • A 3-minute Q&A by judging panel
  • Showcase work-in-progress solution for on-site public voting
• Judging Criteria

  	Submission	Semi-Pitch	Grand Pitch
  A. Benefits to user and community In-depth understanding of user pain point Prominent and impactful benefits to user/community Willingness of users to pay for the solution	40%	25%	20%
  B. Innovativeness and uniqueness of technology Critical role of technology in the solution Patentable technological research and development involved Demonstration of creative application of technology	30%	30%	25%
  C. Feasibility of prototyping and trials Feasibility of being developed into full-functional prototype for user trial within 6-8 months Feasibility of conducting 50+ user trials by the end of an 8-month prototyping and trial period Feasibility for immediate user trial with Government Departments, public organisations and/or NGOs	20%	30%	35%
  D. Team’s capability and entrepreneurship Good mix of technical and business background of team members Demonstrated good pitching and entrepreneurial potential	10%	15%	20%

(ii) University/Tertiary Institute Group

• Full-time students enrolled at any local or non-local university or tertiary institute
• If ANY member is NOT a full-time student enrolled at a university or tertiary institute, the team should make the Submission under Open Group
• Submission Requirements
  • Same as Open Group
• Semi-Pitch
  • Same as Open Group
• Grand Pitch
  • Same as Open Group
• Judging Criteria
  • Same as Open Group

(iii) Secondary School Group: Lower (F1-3 / Year 7-9) and Upper (F4-6 / Year 10-13)

• Students attending any secondary school registered in Hong Kong
• Submission Requirements
  • Lower: Describe the solution in English or Chinese (maximum 100 words) and answer 2 questions in English or Chinese (maximum 100 words each)
• Upper: Describe the solution in English or Chinese (maximum 150 words) and answer 3 questions in English or Chinese (maximum 100 words each)
  • A drawing or concept board in JPG, PNG or PDF format (maximum 2MB)
  • Optional: A supplementary document in PDF format (maximum 5 pages)
  • Optional: A video (maximum 1 minute) with a unique URL on any video sharing platform
  • Questions to be answered
    1. How is your solution related to your identified challenges?
    2. What is the inspiration behind the idea?
    3. (For Upper only) What positive impact(s) will your idea bring to the society?
• Semi-Pitch
  • A 3-minute face-to-face presentation
  • A presentation deck in PDF or PPT format (maximum 10 slides)
  • A prototype (suggested)
  • A 3-minute Q&A by judging panel
• Grand Pitch
  • A 2-minute on-stage presentation
  • A prototype
  • Showcase solution for on-site public voting
• Judging Criteria
  • Creativity and innovativeness (40%)
  • Problem identification and understanding (30%)
  • Impacts and benefits to target end users (30%)

(iv) Primary School Group: P1-6 (Year 1-6)

• Students attending any primary school registered in Hong Kong
• Submission Requirements
• A drawing with description in English or Chinese (maximum 100 words)
• The drawing must be in JPG, PNG or PDF format (maximum 2MB)
• Semi-Pitch
  • A 2-minute face-to-face presentation
  • A drawing/prototype (suggested)
  • A 2-minute Q&A by judging panel
• Grand Pitch
  • A 1-minute on-stage presentation
  • A drawing/prototype
  • Showcase solution for on-site public voting
• Judging Criteria
  • Creativity and innovativeness (40%)
  • Problem identification and understanding (30%)
  • Impacts and benefits to target end users (30%)

3. SUBMISSION

(i) Participants can submit as individuals or in teams (consisting of no more than FIVE (5) qualified members who must fulfil the relevant requirements further explained in these Terms).

(ii) Participants will make the relevant submissions according to the Submission Requirements as set out in Clause 2 above for selection by the Judges.

(iii) There is no limitation on the number of Submissions per Participant. Each Participant can only participate in any one of the Groups. Identical Submissions will not be accepted.

(iv) Each Submission is allowed to address ONE of the sub-themes of the Grand Challenge.

(v) Applicable to Open Group and University/Tertiary Institute Group ONLY: For a Submission made by a team, each team MUST appoint ONE (1) team representative as key contact to manage submission, documentation, and communication throughout the Event Period. All members of the team MUST sign a declaration to endorse the appointment of their team representative and their eligibility in the participating group in to complete its Submission.

(vi) Applicable to Secondary School Group (Lower and Upper) and Primary School Group ONLY: Each team or individual with Participant(s) under eighteen (18) years old must provide contact information of ONE (1) teacher / parent / legal guardian representative as the key contact person to manage submissions, documentation, and communication throughout the Event Period. Any Participant under eighteen (18) years old must have the consent of his/her parent, legal guardian, or teacher to agree to his/her participation in the Grand Challenge in the form of a consent form signed by the relevant parent, legal guardian or teacher of the Participant in order to qualify as a complete Submission.

(vii) Complete Submissions must be received by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner via the Site by no later than 23:59 (GMT +8:00) on 16 May 2024. Late submissions will not be accepted.

(viii) Submissions based on proposals, products and/or ideas (collectively, the “Competing Project”) that are presently receiving any direct financial support from any subvented organizations/institutions of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the “Government”), such as universities and the Innovation and Technology Fund, for innovation and technology prototyping and/or for trial, shall not be eligible to participate in the Grand Challenge, as this would potentially result in the Government double funding the Competing Project if it were to win the Grand Challenge.

(ix) Competing Projects that are presently receiving any direct financial support from any Government department or from  any Government quangos shall not be eligible to participate in the Grand Challenge as this would potentially result in the Government double funding the Competing Project if it were to win the Grand Challenge.

4. SELECTION PROCESS

(i) The Judges shall shortlist a group of Participants to enter into the Semi-Pitch based on the Submissions.

(ii) Each Participant who is on the aforementioned shortlist shall be required to present to the Judges a detailed proposal in the Semi-Pitch. The Judges shall, during the Semi-Pitch, select from the group of shortlisted Participants, a batch of Participants to enter the Grand Pitch.

(iii) Shortlisted Participants with the top three highest score at the Semi-Pitch, from each of the Open Group and University/Tertiary Institute Group for each sub-theme, and from each of the Secondary School Group (Lower and Upper) and Primary School Group shall be required to present the detailed proposal to the Judges in the prescribed format and within the specified time at the Grand Pitch.

(iv) Submissions of shortlisted Participants entering the Grand Pitch will be showcased at the Event for on-site public voting. The Submission with the highest number of votes in each of the groups will receive an award.

5. AWARDS AND PRIZES

The Judges at the Semi-Pitch and Grand Pitch shall select winners (the “Winners”). All shortlisted Participants entering the Grand Pitch and are required to pitch as set out in Clause 4 (iii) above will compete for the Champion (applicable to all Groups), 1st Runner-Up (only applicable to Secondary School Group (Lower and Upper) and Primary School Group) and 2nd Runner-Up (only applicable to Secondary School Group (Lower and Upper) and Primary School Group), while the remaining shortlisted Participants entering the Grand Pitch will be Winners of the Innovation Award. Winners of the Most Favoured Award in each group will be selected by on-site public voting at the Grand Pitch.

The award(s) will be distributed to the team representative for Open Group and University/Tertiary Institute Group, and to the representative teacher / parent / legal guardian for Secondary School Group (Lower and Upper) and Primary School Group.

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner reserves the right to withhold the award(s) in xall groups. The decision made by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner is final and binding on all aspects related to the Grand Challenge.

(i) Open Group

• Champion: 2 Winners (1 per sub-theme)
  • HK$200,000 (per individual Participant or per team)
• Innovation Award: 10 Winners
  • HK$30,000 (per individual Participant or per team)
• Most Favoured Award: 1 Winner
  • HK$20,000 (per individual Participant or per team)

(ii) University/Tertiary Institute Group

• Champion: 2 Winners (1 per sub-theme)
  • HK$200,000 (per individual Participant or per team)
• Innovation Award: 10 Winners
  • HK$30,000 (per individual Participant or per team)
• Most Favoured Award: 1 Winner
  • HK$20,000 (per individual Participant or per team)

(iii) Secondary School Group (Lower and Upper)

• Champion: 1 Winner each for Lower and Upper Secondary School Group
  • Max. HK$40,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$8,000 cash coupons per person)
• 1st Runner-Up: 1 Winner each for Lower and Upper Secondary School Group
  • Max. HK$30,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$6,000 cash coupons per person)
• 2nd Runner-Up: 1 Winner each for Lower and Upper Secondary School Group
  • Max. HK$20,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$4,000 cash coupons per person))
• Innovation Award: 5 Winners each for Lower and Upper Secondary School Group
  • Max. HK$15,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$3,000 cash coupons per person)
• Most Favoured Award: 1 Winner each for Lower and Upper Secondary School Group
  • Max. HK$10,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$2,000 cash coupons per person)

(iv) Primary School Group

• Champion: 1 Winner
  • Max. HK$25,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$5,000 cash coupons per person)
• 1st Runner-Up: 1 Winner
  • Max. HK$15,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$3,000 cash coupons per person)
• 2nd Runner-Up: 1 Winner
  • Max. HK$10,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$2,000 cash coupons per person)
• Innovation Award: 5 Winners
  • Max. HK$7,500 cash coupons (Max. HK$1,500 cash coupons per person)
• Most Favoured Award: 1 winner
  • Max. HK$5,000 cash coupons (Max. HK$1,000 cash coupons per person)

6. OVERVIEW OF TRIAL AND ADOPTION (Applicable Only to the Winners of the Open Group and the University/Tertiary Institute Group)

Winners (except for the Most Favoured Award) from Open Group and University/Tertiary Institute Group will be given the opportunity to further develop the winning solutions after the Grand Pitch for trials and adoption by Government Departments, public organisations and/or NGOs. Below is an overview for reference and is subject to change and update.

(i) Eligibility

• Only Winners from Open Group and University/Tertiary Institute Group of the Grand Challenge may be invited to participate in Trial and Adoption.
• Winners must set up a valid Hong Kong business entity with a business bank account and sign a contract with the Organising Partner to be eligible to receive funding (the “Co-creation Fund”) from the Government and/or other support.

(ii) Co-creation Fund and Support

• The Co-creation fund is capped at HK$1,000,000 for each winning solution and the funding amount is subject to approval
• Other support may include training workshops, consultation and mentorship

(iii) Key Co-creation Activities

• Budget Proposal
  • Winners are required to submit a budget proposal with detailed costs, deliverables and schedule for prototyping and trial and adoption for approval
• Prototyping
  • Winners are required to develop proof of concept and prototypes based on the budget proposal, and report on the development progress on a regular basis as specified by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner
  • Winners are required to complete prototyping deliverables as stated in the approved budget proposal and identify trial group(s) for trial and adoption
• Trial and Adoption
  • Winners are required to submit a trial and adoption proposal with finalised trial group(s) and endorsement for approval
  • Winners are required to complete all activities as stated in the approved trial and adoption proposal
• The Showcase
  • Winners are required to participate in event(s) to showcase their prototypes and outcomes, and any promotion campaigns arranged by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner
• Documentation and Reporting
  • Winners are required to follow the funding mechanism and procurement requirements
  • Winners are required to submit reports according to the timeline specified by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner

7. ADDITIONAL RULES

Participants agree that the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner has the sole right to establish and change the Rules and the operation of the Grand Challenge and/or awards at any time and without notice and liability whatsoever towards the Participants. In the event of any disputes, the decision of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner shall be final and binding on all Participants.

(i) Eligible Submission

• Any solution is eligible to be included in the Submission if the solution addresses at least one (1) of the Grand Challenge’s sub-themes, and is either:
  • (a) based on a new and innovative technology in the concept or development stage; or
  • (b) an innovative application of existing / mature technology.
• Participants MUST either own or are legally authorised to use any intellectual property rights including, without limitation, any patents and copyrights (collectively “IP Rights”) that are incorporated into or utilized by the submitted solution application. Any infringement claims brought against or disputes on the ownership/usage any IP Rights in the submitted solution may result in the immediate disqualification of the relevant group from the Grand Challenge, and entitlement to any of the related awards and prizes.
• Submissions must comply with the specified formats and word limits. Submissions must not include any information that could be used to identify any individual, school, institution, or organisation. The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner reserves the right to exercise its full and final discretion in assessing the eligibility of any Submissions.
• Any winning solution or modified version(s) of it from previous Grand Challenges are NOT eligible for submission.

(ii) Information Validation

• The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner reserves the right to check the validity of the registration information submitted by Participants at any time during the Grand Challenge and to ask for copies of identification documents and/or student cards issued by the schools or universities/tertiary institutes which the Participants are attending. The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner also reserves the right to refuse participation, or to disqualify any Participants (and their teams), at any time during the Grand Challenge, without cause. The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may suspend or terminate the Submission to or participation in the Grand Challenge, in addition to exercising all rights and remedies allowed by law without liability whatsoever towards any Participant.

(iii) Registered account

• Any registered account cannot be shared with anyone other than the Participant nor will he/she allow anyone other than himself/herself to participate in any related activities of the Grand Challenge.

(iv) Participant under eighteen

• Any Participant under eighteen (18) years old must have the consent of his/her parent, legal guardian, or teacher to agree to his/her participation in the Grand Challenge.

(v) Submission by a team

• For a Submission by a team, changes to the team composition (including but not limited to addition, reduction and substitution of team members) are accepted before Submission. Should there arise a genuine need for such changes, the team representative has the right to add new members to or remove existing members from the team. Each member of the team warrants and undertakes that he or she duly authorises the team representative to act as his or her authorized agent in relation to the Grand Challenge Submission and agrees to be bound by all actions taken by the team representative in relation to the Grand Challenge.

8. MODIFICATION AND CANCELLATION OF ANY ACTIVITY RELATED TO THE GRAND CHALLENGE

(i) Cancellation By Participant

Each Participant may cancel the Submission by sending a written notification through email to enquiry.hkcitygc@hkstp.org at least 48 hours before the Submission deadline of the Grand Challenge. These Terms, as applicable, will continue in full force and effect despite any cancellation by the Participant or the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner.

(ii) Event Programme Change or Cancellation By Organiser and/or the Organising Partner

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may change or cancel any event or activity related to the Grand Challenge at any time and may deny, limit or cancel a verification for the Grand Challenge (including a confirmed verification) at any time for any reason, including cheating, technology failure, catastrophe, epidemics or pandemics, war or any other unforeseen or unexpected event that affects the conduct of the Grand Challenge. If the Grand Challenge cannot take place in such circumstances, the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may select winners from among all eligible Submissions received before such cancellation, change or suspension and the decision of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner in this regard is final and conclusive. Without prejudice to the foregoing, the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner shall not be liable towards any Participant in any way for any loss, damages, costs or expenses suffered or incurred (directly or indirectly) by such Participant in relation to the Grand Challenge, or any changes to or cancellations of the Grand Challenge (in whole or in part).

9. USE OF SUBMISSION

No Submission will be returned to any Participant. Except as expressly provided in these Terms, each Participant retains all rights to its Submission. Subject to the confidentiality obligations in these Terms, each Participant hereby grants the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty free, transferable, sublicensable, perpetual and irrevocable license to copy, display, perform, distribute, create derivative works and otherwise use its Submission for any purpose related to the Grand Challenge. Each Participant further acknowledges and agrees that Judges and Partners will have access to and may retain copies of its Submission.

10. DAMAGE OR DISRUPTION

Any attempt to deliberately damage the Site, defraud the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner or Judges, or tamper with or undermine the legitimate operations of the Grand Challenge or the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may be a violation of civil and/or criminal laws, and the Participant(s) concerned may be prosecuted or sued to the full extent permitted by law and will not be eligible for any award that may be available, including or to be designated a Winner.

11. LIVE STREAMING

By attending the virtual Event, Participants acknowledge and agree that they choose to participate in a designated third party live streaming website/platform/application, and will be subject to the terms and conditions of such third party. The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner is not responsible or liable for any aspects relating to this third party’s sites as further explained in Section 11(iii) below. Participants are advised to review and determine whether to accept any terms and conditions that such third party’s site may require Participants to abide by when entering such third party site.

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner accepts no responsibility for delayed, late or misdirected entries during the Grand Challenge live streaming.

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner reserves the right to refuse any Participant’s participation or access to the Grand Challenge immediately and without notice if such Participant disrupts, hinders or causes a nuisance to the Grand Challenge. The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner shall not be liable for any losses or damage incurred by the Participants' inability to access the Grand Challenge for whatever reasons.

Participants are responsible for all costs and fees for data usage relating to the access of the Grand Challenge virtual Events/online sessions through a mobile network.

12. LIABILITY WAIVER AND RELEASE

Each Participant agrees that the Organiser, the Organising Partner, Judges, Partners and anyone acting on behalf of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner or the Grand Challenge (“Released Parties”) will have no responsibility or liability whatsoever to any Participant (including, but not limited to, liability for any indirect or consequential loss or damage such as loss of profit, liability for any property loss, damage, personal injury or death, as well as claims based on publicity rights, defamation, and/or invasion of privacy) in connection with the Grand Challenge, including participation or the acceptance, receipt, possession, misuse, non-use or use of any award or opportunity (or portion thereof); or any damage to Participant’s (or any third person’s) computer and/or its contents related to or resulting from any part of the Grand Challenge; even if caused by the negligence of the Released Parties.

Each Participant acknowledges that the Released Parties have wide access to ideas and that new ideas are frequently submitted to them or are being developed by their employees, including ideas that may be competitive with Participant’s business. Each Participant agrees that it will not be entitled to any compensation as a result of any Released Parties’ use of material that is similar or identical to its Submission. Each Participant hereby waives all rights to claim irreparable injury, equitable relief, direct, indirect, punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages, attorney fees or any damages incurred to enter the Grand Challenge. Participants agree to waive all rights to bring any claim, action, or proceeding against any of the Released Parties.

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner will not be responsible or liable for any incomplete upload of any Submission, and/or for any misdirected or invalid Submissions due to transmission errors or corrupted data files, including without limitation, interruption or inability to access the Site, problems with internet connectivity, firewalls, virus protection software or hardware devices, and/or Submissions that are late, destroyed, lost, stolen, misdirected, tampered with, incomplete, deleted, or not in compliance with these Rules. The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner reserves the right to refuse any Submission(s), disqualify any Participant or withhold the presentation of any award(s) to any Submission(s) without advance notice.

All Participants acknowledge that:

(i) The Site and all its content, functionality, assistance and services are provided “as is” without any warranties from either the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner or any third parties, either express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, the accuracy or reliability of any information that appears on the Site.

(ii) The Site (including all its content which may include content that is furnished by any third parties) is provided “as is” and when available, and the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may change any or all of its content, functionality and services in its discretion at any time without notifying any Participant. The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may also do this for particular activities even if any such Participant has started to participate. Also, the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner reserves the right to correct, change, withdraw or do anything else with the Grand Challenge without being liable for any consequences even if any Participant has already taken action based on it.

(iii) The use of the Site is at your own risk. Neither the Organiser nor the Organising Partner (including any of their respective affiliated or related entities or its vendors or content providers) shall be liable to any person or entity for any direct or indirect loss, damage (whether actual, consequential, punitive, special or otherwise), injury, claim (whether in tort, contract or any other legal grounds), or liability of any kind or character whatsoever based upon or resulting from your use or inability to use the Site or in respect of any information or materials provided on the Site.

(iv) The Site may contain links to websites of third parties or contents provided by third parties such as the Organiser’s and/or the Organising Partner’s Partners. While the contents, products and services may be helpful to the Participants, these third parties are independent entities and the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner does not control or endorse such third parties or any of the contents, products and services that appear of such third party websites. Neither the Organiser nor the Organising Partner guarantees the quality, reliability, or suitability of any third party services provided, made available or linked through the Site and the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner will bear no responsibility for such third party services and contents. All Participants agree that any visits to any linked websites or any third party contents are solely at their own risk. There may be, from time to time, third party contents and services on the Site that are subject to further terms, including terms from the relevant third party that originally produced such contents and services. In such cases, all Participants agree to comply with any such further terms and conditions.

13. UPDATES

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner reserves the right to revise the above Terms without making any advance announcement. Participants understand and agree that from time to time the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may update these Terms and Privacy Policy by posting on the Site. Amended versions of these Terms and Privacy Policy will take effect on the date specified for the amended version. Participants should regularly check the Site for any updates and Participants’ continued use of the Site constitutes Participants’ acceptance of the updated Terms and Privacy Policy.

14. COPYRIGHT

The event name “City Innovation and Technology (I&T) Grand Challenge”, the name of the Organiser and/or the Organising Party, all published materials, information and content on the Site (including, but not limited to text, photographs, images, illustrations, designs, audio clips, video clips, “look and feel,” metadata, data, or compilations) (collectively, the “IP Protected Materials”) are protected by copyright, and owned and/or controlled by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner or the party credited as the provider of the IP Protected Materials. The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner also owns copyright in the selection, coordination, compilation, and enhancement of any such IP Protected Materials.

Participants shall abide by all additional copyright notices, information, or restrictions contained in any IP Protected Materials. Participants may not copy, extract, modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce, create new works from, distribute, perform, display (including framing and inline linking), communicate to the public or in any way exploit, any of the IP Protected Materials whether in whole or in part unless the Participant has obtained the prior written consent of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner.

15. MISCELLANEOUS

(i) For the avoidance of doubt, the views of the Participants and Judges do not represent in any way the position of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner.

(ii) To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner and Participants hereby waive any provision of law that would render any of these Terms invalid or otherwise unenforceable in any respect. In the event that a provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or otherwise unenforceable, such provision will be interpreted to fulfil its intended purpose to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, and the remaining provisions of these Terms will continue in full force and effect.

(iii) The English version shall prevail in the event of any inconsistencies between the Chinese and English versions on the interpretation of any of these Terms. The Chinese version is for reference only.

(iv) These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (“Hong Kong”) and the Participants shall submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Hong Kong.

RESPONSIBILITIES, UNDERTAKINGS, REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARTICIPANTS (collectively, the “Reps and Warranties”)

1. SUBMISSION AND DELIVERABLE

Each Participant is solely responsible for his/her Submission. Each Participant undertakes and represents that his/her Submission and all Deliverables will not:

(i) Infringe or otherwise violate the Intellectual Property Rights (as defined in Section 3 below) of any third party;

(ii) Disclose or rely upon the confidential or proprietary information of a third party without appropriate written permission;

(iii) Contain libellous, defamatory, disparaging and/or unlawful content;

(iv) Invade the privacy or publicity rights of any person (living or deceased), or otherwise infringe upon a third party’s personal or proprietary rights;

(v) Violate any laws and/or regulations;

(vi) Include any sexually explicit content;

(vii) Depict, incite or inspire violence, weapons or dangerous stunts;

(viii) Depict or incite discrimination, bigotry, harm or hatred;

(ix) Depict, incite or inspire tobacco or illicit drug usage;

(x) Promote any illegal activities and/or the commission of any crimes;

(xi) Include off-topic, inflammatory, inappropriate, illegal, or offensive content;

(xii) Include any advertisements or solicitations of business;

(xiii) Promote any political agenda, messages and/or ideologies; or

(xiv) Reflect negatively on the goodwill of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner or its Partners.

The above list is not exhaustive. Each Participant further undertakes:

(xv) To behave in such a way as to create a safe, supportive environment while at the Grand Challenge and any related event(s);

(xvi) Not to engage in disruptive speech or behaviour or otherwise interfere with the Grand Challenge or other individuals’ participation;

(xvii) Comply with all applicable laws and agree not to engage in any form of harassing, offensive, discriminatory or threatening speech or behaviour, including relating to politics, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion or disability.

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may disqualify any Submission if the Submission includes content that the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner, in its sole discretion, deems unsuitable for the Grand Challenge and/or if the Participant violates any of these Terms and the decision of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner is final and conclusive. Without prejudice to the foregoing, the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may reject or disqualify any Submission at any time, in its sole discretion, without incurring any liability whatsoever towards the Participant or any third party.

2. DELIVERABLES

During the Grand Challenge, Deliverables must (a) address the specific sub-themes; (b) be submitted in one of the specified digital formats; and (c) comply with these Rules. If a Deliverable cannot be downloaded or accessed, is not in the right format or is incompatible, illegible, or unintelligible, or violates any other conditions under these Rules, the Deliverable will be disqualified. Further, a Deliverable must comply with the following requirements:

(i) The Deliverables must be the sole and exclusive work of the Participant;

(ii) In the event that the Deliverables containing any content the proprietary right to which is owned by any third party(ies), all rights, authorisations and agreements necessary to submit the Deliverables (incorporating such content) have been obtained from such third party(ies). Failure to comply with such requirement will result in the disqualification of any such Deliverables and their related Submission; and

(iii) No other individual and/or entity is entitled to claim any rights from the use of the Deliverables.

3. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Definitions for the purposes of these Reps and Warranties:

(i) "Intellectual Property Rights" refer to any copyright, moral rights, or other rights over a brand, a design or a model, a patent and more generally, any element, (including trade secrets and knowhow), that may be protected by national and/or international laws or conventions on intellectual property.

(ii) "Previous Rights" refer to any Intellectual Property Rights and/or any associated know-how held by the Participants before the start date of the Grand Challenge.

(iii) "Creations" refer to any software (including source and object code software), database, technical specifications, text, design, model, information, knowledge, method, process or product, as well as any resulting elements and/or processes likely or otherwise to be protected according to national and/or international laws or conventions on intellectual property developed by any Participant as a part of any submitted Deliverable throughout the Grand Challenge.

Warranty of non-infringement of Intellectual Property Rights

Each Participant represents and warrants to the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner that he/she is the owner or co-owner and the holder or co-holder of the Intellectual Property Rights regarding all or part of the Creations contained in the Deliverables submitted at any time of the Grand Challenge, and that he/she has obtained all rights and permissions regarding all pre-existing Creations and any elements of the Deliverables for which he/she does not hold the relevant rights.

Each Participant warrants (i) that his/her contribution is original and unprecedented; (ii) that it does not infringe upon any Intellectual Property Rights of any third party; (iii) that all the elements on which his/her Submissions are formed, as well as all pieces of contributions and information communicated in the Submission presentation documents are accurate, reliable and complete; and (iv) that the submission of the relevant Deliverables do not constitute an act of unfair competition of any kind under any applicable laws and regulations.

It is mandatory for Participants to indicate the source of any pre-existing Creations of whichever nature and support that are included in any submitted Deliverable. Any Deliverable involving several Participants constitutes a collaborative work and it should be treated as such in accordance with the applicable regulation in force.

Under no circumstances shall the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner be held liable for any infringement of any Intellectual Property Rights in the Creations and/or the Deliverables. Each Participant shall indemnify the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner against any loss, damages, action, claim, opposition and demand from any third party in connection with any Intellectual Property Rights or Creations in the Deliverables. This provision shall survive the completion of the Grand Challenge.

Any infringement claims brought against or disputes on the ownership/usage any Intellectual Property Rights in the submitted solution may result in the immediate disqualification of the relevant group from the Grand Challenge, and entitlement to any of the related awards and prizes.

By submitting a Deliverable and participating in this Grand Challenge, each Participant is not granting the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner any Intellectual Property Rights subsisting in any Deliverable or any part thereof and the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner makes no claim to ownership of any Deliverable or any Intellectual Property Rights subsisting in such Deliverable.

Participants understand and agree that all Intellectual Property Rights in the Site belong to the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner and its licensors, as applicable at all times.

Except as expressly provided in these Terms, Participants have no right to use the Organiser’s and/or the Organising Partner’s Intellectual Property Rights. In particular, Participants have no right to use the Organiser’s and/or the Organising Partner’s trademarks or product names, logos, domain names or other distinctive brand features associated with the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner, as the case may be without the Organiser’s and/or the Organising Partner’s prior written consent.

4. CONFIDENTIALITY

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner agrees that it will treat all personal data in each Submission as confidential information of the Participant (“Confidential Information”). The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner will not disclose any Confidential Information to any third party without the prior written consent of the Participant, unless the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner is required by law, court order, or legal process to do so, including but not limited to a court or governmental subpoena.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Participant understands and agrees that the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may disclose the Participant’s entire Submission to the Organiser’s and/or the Organising Partner’s partners, the Judges, and/or the Organiser’s and/or the Organising Partner’s professional, financial and similar advisors; provided that such other persons or firms have similar undertakings to keep such Confidential Information confidential and not to further disclose such Confidential Information to any third party.

Each Participant understands and agrees that the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner is not required to treat as confidential any portion of Confidential Information that (i) was disclosed to the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner without obligation of confidentiality; or (ii) becomes publicly available through no fault of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner. The obligation of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner under this provision shall survive two (2) years after the completion of the Grand Challenge.

5. INDEMNIFICATION

Each Participant agrees to indemnify and hold the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner harmless from any and all liability resulting from or arising from the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner’s use of any Submission (or part thereof) and/or any Deliverable (or part thereof).

6. PRIVACY AND PUBLICITY

The Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may collect and process personal data such as the Participant’s name and email address, and/or the name, email address and phone number (for Participants under the age of 18) of the Participant’s parents, guardians or teachers when the Participants provide the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner with such personal data directly, or when third parties collect and disclose such personal data on behalf of the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner. All Participants undertake to the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner to provide accurate, current, and complete information at all times. All Participants also agree that they will review, maintain, correct, and update such information in a timely manner to maintain its accuracy and completeness by using the means allowed for amending such information or, when appropriate, by contacting the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner. If the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner has reasonable grounds to believe that any information is inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may suspend or terminate the Submission or participation of the relevant Participant(s) in the Grand Challenge, in addition to exercising all rights and remedies allowed by law without being liable to such Participant(s).

In addition, the Participants acknowledge and accept that they may be filmed or photographed while participating in the Grand Challenge and the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner may collect photographs, audio-visual footage, comments, and any other record of Participants’ participation in the Grand Challenge.

Participants hereby consent and agree to the collection, use, processing and disclosure of their personal data by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner for the purposes set out in the Personal Information Collection Statement (see Appendix 3) and in accordance with the Privacy Policy (see Appendix 2)

By entering the Grand Challenge, Participants agree to participate in any media, promotional activity or publicity related to the Grand Challenge without payment or compensation, if requested to do so by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner.

The Participants further agree to participate in, at their own expense, award presentation ceremonies, media, promotional activity or publicity related to the Grand Challenge in Hong Kong or elsewhere in relation to the Grand Challenge without payment or compensation, if requested to do so by the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner.

1. COLLECTION OF INFORMATION

We do not collect more information from you than is necessary to provide you with the Services and to protect your account:

When you participate in any of the Grand Challenge events, including registration, submission, training, Semi-Pitch, public voting, Grand Pitch, trial and adoption, and Showcase (“Events”), you may be asked to provide us with information such as your full name, email address, phone number, affiliated school, year of study, field of study and team name. For Participants under eighteen (18) years old, the consent of parent, legal guardian or teachers is required, and the parent, legal guardian or teacher’s full name and email address will be collected.

When you submit an inquiry or Submission to the Grand Challenge, you may also provide us your ideas, proposal, and comments (“User Generated Content”). Certain data we collect may be defined as personal data under applicable data protection laws (“Personal Data”).

Do not supply Personal Data about others unless you are authorised or required to do so by applicable law or contract and you consent to the Terms and Conditions, and this Privacy Policy on behalf of yourself and the person(s) about whom you supply Personal Data (“Data Subject”). Before supplying Personal Data about others (except as otherwise allowed by law or contract), you must make available for the Data Subject’s review, and obtain their written consent to, said Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. By submitting any Personal Data about others, you represent and warrant that you are authorised to do so and that you did all of the foregoing before submitting the information. If applicable law allows you to supply the information without doing the foregoing, you represent and warrant that you have abided by such applicable law and that it allows us to receive and disclose the information under this Policy without any further action on our part. You agree to indemnify, defend and hold us harmless against any failure by you to comply with this paragraph.

If you contact us, we may record your conversation with us and collect additional information to verify your identity.

2. USE OF PERSONAL DATA

We shall use your Personal Data in accordance with the Personal Information Collection Statement (see Appendix 3) provided by us to you on or before the time of collection of your Personal Data. Your Personal Data will be used in connection with the Grand Challenge. Details of the purposes for which such Personal Data will be used will be set out in the relevant Personal Information Collection Statement (see Appendix 3).

3. DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL DATA

We may disclose and transfer (whether within or outside the jurisdiction of us that is the controller) your Personal Data to our partners and to service providers engaged by us to assist us to provide Services to you or who otherwise process Personal Data for purposes described in this Privacy Policy or notified to you when we collect your Personal Data.

These service providers must abide by our data privacy and security requirements and are only permitted to use your Personal Data in connection with the purposes specified above, and not for their own purposes.

For the purposes specified above, we may share your Personal Data with our affiliates and/or their designated service providers.

When we believe it is necessary to comply with applicable laws or to exercise, establish or defend our legal rights or protect your vital interests or those of any other person, we may also disclose and transfer your Personal Data to our professional advisers, law enforcement agencies, insurers, government and regulatory and other organisations.

We may also disclose your Personal Data to any other person with your consent to the disclosure.

We retain your Personal Data as long as we have an ongoing legitimate business need to do so for example to provide services or products to you, or as required or permitted by applicable laws, such as tax and accounting laws.

Information you submit to the Site for publication may be made publicly available on the Site and therefore accessible by any internet user. You should exercise caution when deciding what information you submit to us for publication.

We may provide aggregated or anonymised data to third parties, but when we do so, the information we share is in a de-identified format that does not personally identify you.

4. RIGHTS REGARDING PERSONAL DATA

Under the applicable laws, you may have the rights of access to Personal Data held by us and other rights. If you are a Participant or a visitor from the European Union, please refer to “Section 15. VISITORS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION” below for more information. If you are a Participant or a visitor from Mainland China, please refer to “Section 16. VISITORS FROM MAINLAND CHINA” below for more information.

If you have any questions regarding this Privacy Policy or if you wish to access or correct your Personal Data as a user of the Site, you may send your request to dpo@hkstp.org.

If and to the extent permitted by applicable law, we may charge you a fee for the processing of any request you make regarding your Personal Data.

5. COOKIES

We use "cookies" to store specific information about you and track your visits to the Site, either through a computer or via a mobile device. It is not uncommon for websites to use cookies to enhance identification of their visitors.

A "cookie" is a small amount of data that is sent to your browser and stored on your computer's or mobile device’s hard drive. If you do not de-activate or erase the cookies, each time you use the same browser or mobile device to access the Site, our servers will be notified of your visit to the Site and in turn we may have knowledge of your visit and the pattern of your usage. The cookies will enable us to remember your information so you do not have to re-enter it every time you use the Site.

In addition, we use cookies to manage the security of our Site, to gather information about usage by users; to research visiting patterns and conduct interest-based advertising; to assist our partners to track user visits to the Site and process orders; and to track progress and participation in the Grand Challenge Events.

For these additional purposes identified above, you can determine if and how a cookie will be accepted by configuring the privacy setting of the browser you are using to access the Site or the privacy setting of your mobile device. As the means by which you can refuse cookies through your web browser controls vary from browser to browser, you should visit your browser's help menu for more information. If you adjust the privacy setting in the browser, your mobile device will continue collecting data unless you adjust the privacy setting of the device, and vice versa.

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. If you choose to set your web browser controls to reject cookies, you may still use our website though your access to some functionality and areas of our website may be restricted.

In addition, most advertising networks offer you a way to opt out of targeted advertising. If you would like to find out more information, please visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices/orhttp://www.youronlinechoices.com.

Certain features of the Site depend on cookies. Please be aware that if you choose to block cookies, you may not be able to sign in or use those features, and preferences that are dependent on cookies may be lost.

We use two types of cookies: session cookies (which are erased once you close the browser or shut down the device) and persistent cookies (which remain even after closing the browser or shutting down the device/application and which are activated each time you visit the Site). The session cookies use encrypted data to unambiguously authenticate you. The persistent cookies do not store account numbers or passwords.

We use both first party cookies (cookies that are set by us and serve mainly to enable basic functionality on our Site, including analytics cookies that help us understand how users use our pages and how we can improve their use) and third party cookies (these cookies are not set by us, but by our selected partners).

In addition, we also use social media cookies. Some pages on our Site allow you to "share" content through social media such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Sometimes we embed videos from websites like YouTube. These websites set their own cookies on which we have no influence. To refuse their cookies, please follow the instructions on their websites. In addition, these websites have their own privacy policy, which you can find on the respective websites.

Our Site uses Google Analytics, an internet analytics service provided by Google, Inc., 1600 Amphitheater Parkway Mountain View, California, 94043, USA ("Google"). Google Analytics uses "cookies", which are text files that are stored on your computer and used to analyse the use of the Site. For example, Google's cookies allow us to tell us which pages our users are viewing, which ones are most popular, what time of day our Site are visited, if users have previously visited our Site, from which website users are redirected to our Site were and the like. The data generated by the cookies about your use of the Site will be transmitted to Google and stored by Google on servers in the United States.

We use an anonymisation tool of IP addresses so that the IP addresses are truncated within the territory of the Member States of the European Union and the other members of the agreement on the European Economic Area. The non-truncated IP address are only exceptionally transmitted to Google’s servers in the US and then truncated there.

Google uses the data on behalf of the website operator to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activity for the website operators and for other website activity and internet usage services. Google may disclose this information to third parties under the terms of the law or for further processing by third parties on behalf of Google.

For more information about Google Analytics cookies, visit the Google Help pages and Privacy Policy:

Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy

Google Analytics Help Center: https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/cookies-usage

The IP address that your browser will pass on to Google Analytics will not be associated with any other data stored by Google. Through your browser settings, you can block cookies; however, this can lead to problems with the use of some functionalities of our website. Through the add-on "Google Analytics Opt-out" you can through your current browser opt-out to the use of Google Analytics from then on: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en.

More information can be found here: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245。

7. SECURITY MEASURES

We employ commercially reasonable security methods to prevent unauthorised access to the Site, to maintain data accuracy and to ensure the correct use of the information we hold.

For registered users of the Site, some of your information can be viewed and edited through your account, which is protected by a password. We recommend that you do not divulge your password to anyone. Our personnel will never ask you for your password in an unsolicited phone call or in an unsolicited email. If you share a computer with others, you should not choose to save your log-in information (e.g., login ID and password) on that shared computer. Remember to sign out of your account and close your browser window when you have finished your session.

No data transmission over the internet or any wireless network can be guaranteed to be perfectly secure. As a result, while we try to protect the information we hold for you, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us and you do so at your own risk.

8. YOUR RIGHT TO OPT OUT

You understand that we will send you information relating to the following:

8.1 any updates and announcements from time-to-time for the Grand Challenge; and

8.2 research and questionnaires about the Grand Challenge.

By making your Submission, you indicate your consent for us to use your name and email address for direct marketing purposes in accordance with the above, unless you have ticked the opt-out box indicating that you object to such use.

9. THE INFORMATION WE DO NOT INTEND TO COLLECT

Some Personal Data such as your mental health condition, sexual orientation, medical history, or criminal record is considered “sensitive” in some jurisdictions, and is subject to heightened regulation than the other types of Personal Data. We do not intend to collect such sensitive Personal Data from you and any such sharing of sensitive Personal Data is entirely at your own sole discretion and risk.

10. HYPERLINKS

This Privacy Policy only applies to this Site. If you click on any advertisement or hyperlink linking to another website, you will leave our Site for another location. We shall not be responsible for the privacy and security practices or the content of such websites and you should always check the privacy policy of all websites you clicked in.

11. YOUR PARTICULAR CONSENT

You are giving us the following particular express, voluntary, and informed consent to a few activities relating to your Personal Data that is disclosed in furtherance of our mission and operations, or for a purpose directly related to such purpose:

Consent to Electronic Notice If There is a Security Breach: We will safeguard your Personal Data and prevent such information from unauthorised access, disclosure, or use. If we are or a Recipient is required to provide notice of unauthorised access to or other invasion of certain security systems, you agree that we (or they) may do so when required (or voluntarily) by posting notice on our Site or sending notice to any email address we have for you, in our (or their) good faith discretion. You agree that notice to you will count as notice to others for whom you are acting, and agree to pass the notice on to them.

Media Consent: You provide the following consent to us, its affiliates and sub-licensees to take photos, digital images, audio and/or video footages of you, and to use your Image (defined below) in any form of media for the purpose of promoting the Grand Challenge and/or us. The term “Image” refers to the full set of attributes of your personality, including but not limited to your image, voice, family name and forenames, signature and business name/logo. You grant the Grand Challenge an exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, unrestricted, royalty-free, assignable, transferable and fully sub-licensable license to all present and future rights, title and interest in all intellectual property (including, without limitation, any trademark, copyright, publicity, and database rights, and the right to prepare derivative works) you have in your Image, to store, use, reuse, edit, modify, adapt, reproduce, display, host, publish, circulate, or distribute your Image as we deem appropriate in its sole and absolute discretion. You represent and warrant that you have all rights to grant such licenses to us without infringement or violation of any third party rights. We are not obligated to submit any promotional and other materials to you, or your organisation for approval, or to produce, distribute or utilise any of the rights granted herein. You irrevocably and unconditionally waive any and all moral and similar rights vesting in your Image to the extent legally permissible.

12. RETENTION PERIOD

We will retain your Data in compliance with the Ordinance. We will retain such information for no longer than seven (7) years after such information has been submitted to us or for such other period as is permitted under the relevant laws and regulations of Hong Kong that are applicable from time to time, whichever is the shorter. We may discard Personal Data in our discretion, so you should retain your own records, and not rely upon our storage of any Personal Data, content, or other data.

Subject to applicable laws and regulations, you may have the right to inquire and request for a review of, request a copy of, make supplements or corrections to, discontinue collection, processing or use of, or request to delete some or all of your Personal Data at our possession. Please contact us if you have any inquiries as to what information we have concerning you, and submit your new information if your Personal Data has changed. A fee may be charged by us in this regard.

13. ENGLISH VERSION PREVAILS

In the event of any discrepancy between the English version and the Chinese version of this Privacy Policy, the English version shall prevail.

14. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time in response to changing legal, technical or business developments. When we update our Privacy Policy, we will take appropriate measures to inform you, consistent with the significance of the changes we make. We will obtain your consent to any material Privacy Policy changes if and where this is required by applicable data protection laws. Any changes to this Privacy Policy will be communicated by us posting an amended Privacy Policy on the Site. Once posted on the Site, the new Privacy Policy will be effective immediately. You can see when this Privacy Notice was last updated by checking the “last updated” date displayed at the top of this Privacy Notice.

15. VISITORS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION

This section of the Privacy Policy applies only if you use our Site or services covered by this Privacy Policy from a country that is a Member State of the European Union, and supplements the information in this Privacy Policy.

If you are in the European Economic Area (“EEA”), your controller is us (incorporated in Hong Kong). For contact details, please see “Section 17. CONTACT US” below.

(i) Legal basis for data processing

We process Personal Data for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, as described above. Our legal basis to process Personal Data will depend on the Personal Data concerned and the specific context in which we collect it. However, we will normally collect and process Personal Data about you only where it is: necessary for the performance of any contract between you and us (e.g., to provide you with the services you request and to identify and authenticate you so you may use the Site); necessary to comply with legal requirements (e.g., to comply with applicable accounting rules and to make mandatory disclosures to law enforcement); necessary for our legitimate interests and not overridden by your rights; and/or where it is based on your consent.

If we collect and use your Personal Data in reliance on our legitimate interests (or those of any third party), this interest will normally be to operate our Site and services, manage our relationship with you and communicate with you as necessary to provide our services to you and for our legitimate commercial interest, for instance, when responding to your queries, improving our Site and our services, undertaking marketing, or for the purposes of ensuring the security of our Site and services and detecting or preventing illegal activities such as fraud. We may have other legitimate interests and if appropriate we will make clear to you at the relevant time what those legitimate interests are.

If we ask you to provide Personal Data to comply with a legal requirement or to enter into a contract with you, we will make this clear at the relevant time and advise you whether the provision of your Personal Data is mandatory or not (as well as of the possible consequences if you do not provide your Personal Data). In some instances, you may be required to provide us with Personal Data for processing as described above, in order for us to be able to provide you all of our services, and for you to use all the features of our Site.

We retain your Personal Data as long as we have an ongoing legitimate business need to do so, for example to provide services or products to you, or as required or permitted by applicable laws, such as tax and accounting laws. When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your Personal Data, we will either delete or anonymise it or, if this is not possible (e.g., because your Personal Data has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your Personal Data and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

If you have questions about or need further information concerning the legal basis on which we collect and use your Personal Data, please contact us using the contact details provided under “Section 17. CONTACT US” below.

(ii) International Transfers of Personal Data

Our business may require us to transfer your Personal Data to countries outside of the EEA, including to countries that may not provide the same level of data protection as your home country. We take appropriate steps to ensure that recipients of your Personal Data are bound to duties of confidentiality and we implement appropriate measures to ensure your Personal Data will remain protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy, such as standard contractual clauses. A copy of those clauses can be obtained by contacting dpo@hkstp.org.

(iii) Your Rights

If you are a resident of the EEA, you have the following data protection rights, which you can exercise at any time by contacting us using the contact details provided under “Section 17. CONTACT US” below:

The right to access, correct, update or request deletion of your Personal Data.

The right to object to processing of your personal information when it is based on our legitimate interests, and separately the right to object to direct marketing.

The right to ask us, in some situations, to restrict processing of your personal information or request portability of your personal information.

The right to opt-out of marketing communications we send you at any time. You can exercise this right by clicking on the “unsubscribe” or “opt-out” link in the marketing e-mails we send you. To opt-out of other forms of marketing (such as postal marketing or telemarketing), please contact us using the contact details provided under “Section 17. CONTACT US” below.

If we have collected and process your personal information with your consent, then you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing we conducted prior to your withdrawal, nor will it affect processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent.

16. VISITORS FROM MAINLAND CHINA

Personal information processing statement: For the purposes of the Grand Challenge (including for the purpose of any Submission and the fulfilment of any Deliverables), if the Participant is based in the Mainland of the People’s Republic of China (“Mainland China”), we, through our wholly foreign-owned entity in Shenzhen, Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (Shenzhen) Limited (“HKSTP Shenzhen Branch"), may need to obtain and process personal information provided by you (which may include but is not limited to any individual’s name, surname, WeChat ID, title, title, mobile phone number, email address). A complete set of personal data collection policy of HKSTP Shenzhen Branch for the purpose of complying with the relevant personal data protection laws and regulations of Mainland China can be found at this link:

English Version: https://www.hkstp.org/media/ixsbhst1/hkstp-sz_pics_english_20231121.pdf

Chinese Version: https://www.hkstp.org/media/s3gpbii0/hkstp-sz_pics_sc_20231121.pdf

In addition, we may need to transfer such personal information across the border to us in Hong Kong so that we can coordinate with the Organiser and/or the Organising Partner on the Grand Challenge and all matters arising out of or in relation to this event (including your Submission and any Deliverables). When HKSTP Shenzhen transfers your personal information from Mainland China to other countries or regions, HKSTP Shenzhen has reasonable measures in place to ensure that overseas recipients of your personal information will handle such information in a manner that meets or exceeds the protection standards required under relevant personal data protection laws and regulations of Mainland China.

Should you have any questions, complaints or suggestions about this personal information processing statement, or you wish to request to exercise your rights related to our use of such personal information, you can contact the Organising Partner using the contact details provided under “Section 17. CONTACT US” below.

You hereby confirm that (i) you have the right to provide us with the personal information you have provided to us (through our HKSTP Shenzhen Branch), (ii) that the person whose personal information you have provided is fully aware of such disclosure to us (through our HKSTP Shenzhen Branch) and of his/her rights under hereunder, and (iii) such individual’s full and clear consent to the disclosure and processing of his/her personal information in the manner referred to and contemplated under these Terms has been obtained.

17. CONTACT US

You may write to us at dpo@hkstp.org for any privacy concerns and requests relating to this Privacy Policy, or our Site and Services.

1. GENERAL PROTECTION

All Data is collected, used, disclosed and retained by us in accordance with all relevant laws, regulations and/or licence requirements including, without limitation, the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.

2. PURPOSE OF USE

We may use any Personal Data collected by us for one or more of the following purposes:

2.1 to process and administer your registration to participate in the Grand Challenge;

2.2 to communicate with you regarding your registration and Submission, the Grand Challenge, or any enquiries, feedback or complaints;

2.3 to include your Personal Data in any profile, content, publications, images, recordings and/or materials in any format whatsoever (including, without limitation, any that may be made available to the public) created by or on behalf of us in relation to the Grand Challenge;

2.4 to organise and administer the Grand Challenge, including (without limitation) your participation in the Grand Challenge (if your Submission is accepted by us); and

2.5 as a record of engagements in our database for reference of other users.

3. DIRECT MARKETING

Subject to your consent, we will send you information relating to the following:

3.1 any updates and announcements from time-to-time for the Grand Challenge; and

3.2 research and questionnaires about the Grand Challenge.

By making your Submission, you indicate your consent for us to use your name and email address for direct marketing purposes in accordance with the above, unless you have ticked the opt-out box indicating that you object to such use.

4. DISCLOSURE OF DATA

For the purposes set out above, we may transfer any Personal Data held by us to:

4.1 our professional advisors, including our accountants, auditors, lawyers and insurers;

4.2 third party service providers, subcontractors, and/or agents of any of the members of us (including, without limitation, those that provide back-office or IT services, or marketing and promotional services, or security services in relation to the Grand Challenge) for the purposes of administering, organising, providing, hosting, fulfilling, promoting, marketing, advertising and/or showcasing the Grand Challenge;

4.3 authorised people of the Grand Challenge including, without limitation, Judges; and

4.4 any government and regulatory authorities and other organisations as required or authorised by law.

We may also include Personal Data (including, without limitation, full name, email address, phone number, affiliated school, year of study, field of study, team name and location) in promotional or marketing materials (including, without limitation, video and/or audio recordings, photographs, live streaming, broadcasts, brochures and advertisements) related to the Grand Challenge, which will be disseminated to and made available to the public.

We may disclose any Personal Data when required by applicable law, or as requested by any court, tribunal, or government or law enforcement authorities, or to bring any legal action or to defend any claim related to you.

5. CLASSES OF TRANSFEREES

Except with your prior consent, we will not transfer or disclose collected personal data and information to any third party except as stated below:

5.1 EventX Limited, Wufoo by SurveyMonkey Inc., Freedom Communications Limited and HK01 Company Limited, all of whom are third party service providers of the Event;

5.2 any personnel, agent, adviser, auditor, contractor and/ or service provider engaged by us to provide services and/or advice (e.g. technical, security or data processing service, etc.) in connection with the Event;

5.3 any person or entity to whom we are required to make disclosure to under any law or court order applicable in Hong Kong.

6. DATA ACCESS AND CORRECTION RIGHTS

You have the right to request access to or correction of your Personal Data held by us. Any data access request or data correction request, or any other data privacy related queries, may be made by contacting our Data Protection Officer atdpo@hkstp.org

The above is without prejudice to the Grand Challenge Terms and Conditions.