Strengthening youth innovation with HKU, one prototype at a time

Following the IdeaPOP! 2026 post-competition workshop in the morning, the Top 10 teams made their way to The University of Hong Kong for a different kind of energy: the energy of a university campus built around ideas.

The session opened with a campus tour, giving students a brief but meaningful look at HKU's campus. More than sightseeing, it was an invitation to step into a community where curiosity is built into the environment itself. Students were also introduced to the HKU School of Innovation, a space dedicated to nurturing the kind of creative, cross-disciplinary thinking that turns ideas into impact.

From there, Dr William Cheung guided students through two activities that challenged them to think, build and reimagine:

The Marshmallow Challenge brought the spirit of rapid prototyping to life. Students built tower prototypes with marshmallows on the spot, experiencing firsthand the innovator's mindset of not over-planning and not waiting for the perfect idea. Build, test, learn, and iterate: the core spirit of IdeaPOP!.

A brainstorming session on revitalizing cinemas and Hong Kong's movie industry invited students to write freely on memo paper, think laterally, and envision bold possibilities for a creative industry at a crossroads.

We are truly grateful to Dr William Cheung and the I-School team for coordinating both the campus tour and these thoughtfully designed activities. To Professor Connie Lee, thank you for the generous gift of time and for making every student feel seen and heard through each conversation.

Our sincere gratitude goes to Professor Hayden So, who served as a distinguished judge at our Final Pitch, championed this workshop with such enthusiasm, and generously shared his time and insights with our students. His words carried both wisdom and warmth, and the encouragement shared left a lasting impression on every young innovator in that room.

We are grateful for the support from the passionate educators and innovators at the HKU School of Innovation. Connecting young innovators with world-class academic environments is central to everything we do and today reminded us exactly why these experiences will stay with our students for a long time. 

We look forward to continuing to grow this partnership and creating more moments where young people can learn, think boldly and be inspired by the best.