Hong Kong Design Centre Design Incubation Programme Notes to the Applicant

Transcription

1 Section A : Submission of the Application Form and Other Documents How to submit the application form and other related documents: Submit your application form in hardcopy by mail or in person to: Address : Unit 226A, 2/F, InnoCentre, 72 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. Attention : Secretariat Hong Kong Design Centre Re : Application for Other documents to be submitted together with the application form 1. Resume of ALL shareholders and full time employees (refer to the Application Form Appendix) 2. Two passport photos of ALL shareholders and full time employees 3. Recommendation letter (ORIGINAL COPY with SIGNATURE) from a nominator to this application 4. ORIGINAL COPY of Hong Kong Business Registration Certificate 5. ORIGINAL COPY of Certificate of Incorporation, Memorandum & Articles of Association, NC1 or AR1 form (for limited company) 6. ORIGINAL COPY of Form 1(c) (for Partnership), or Form 1(a) (for Sole Proprietorship) 7. Office layout plan (please refer to question A13) 8. Eight sets of the design portfolio, such as pictures, photos, sketch, art work...etc., of the Applicant and /or other designers preferably in A4 sized paper. The design portfolio should be the works of the concerned designers as a student, freelance, from his / her previous and / or current jobs Important note: Your application will NOT be processed if any of the above documents are not submitted together with the application form. Overseas applicants may submit item 3, 4 & 5 above later, please contact Secretariat to follow up. Please submit the following at least 3 working days before the Design Admission Panel Meeting A presentation (preferably in PPT file format) which will be shown for 15 minutes in the Admission Panel Meeting to illustrate the Applicant s business strategy, background and design portfolio of its key designers and reasons to join the. Important note: Your application will be treated as withdrawn if the above is not received on time or no show at the Design Admission Panel Meeting Section B : Admission Criteria and Assessment Mandatory Admission Criteria (Subject to periodic review and update without prior notice) (a) For local applications, the applicant must be a Hong Kong Permanent Resident with his /her application-company as a start-up Hong Kong-registered company (i.e. registered in Hong Kong for not more than three years as at the date of application), and still in its early stage of development in which financial and professional support is much needed; For overseas applications, the applicant must have an overseas registered company operating at their respective country of domicile, that has registered for not more than five years as at the date of application. When the approval is granted to the applicant for DIP admission, the applicant must set up a Hong Kong-registered company immediately to qualify for programme commencement. (b) To qualify for Office Rental and Business Centre Assistance, the applicant is expected not to require more than 650 square foot gross of office space at the time of admission in general; (c) A shareholder or partner of the application-company must not be a shareholder or partner of a current incubatee or graduated company in the DIP, or other incubation programmes funded by the Hong Kong SAR Government; and 1

2 (d) For local applications, the applicant must have as at the date of application and throughout the 2-year incubation period at least two full-time staff (including the applicant) working for the application-company based in Hong Kong (in DIP office in case his / her application is approved), and i) at least one of them (including the applicant) must be a shareholder or partner and must be a designer in a recognised design discipline, who is /are Hong Kong Permanent Resident(s); and ii) The aggregate shareholding percentage or interest of the above said full-time designer(s) should be the majority. For overseas applications, the application-company must have at least two full-time staff, including at least one representative of overseas domicile, working for the Hong Kong-registered company before the commencement of the programme. Such representative(s) must be a designer or a professional with design knowledge in a recognized design discipline. The conditions at (i) and (ii) above have also to be met throughout the incubation period (except the requirement of Hong Kong Permanent Resident status). Qualitative Assessment Criteria for Admission The Application will be assessed based on the following qualitative criteria: 1. Innovation and creativity; 2. Business model and commercial viability; 3. Revenue model and financial viability; 4. Background of the applicant and relevant strength; 5. Management team; 6. Presentation at Design Admission Panel; 7. Social / community impact; 8. Commitment of the applicant and the team to become resourceful design-preneurs running successful design business; and 9. Need of financial and professional support Design Focus Areas The applicant should engage in design intensive business in the following categories: 1. Product Design 2. Fashion Design 3. Branding/Packaging 4. Jewelry Design 5. Visual and Spatial arts 6. Media & Communication 7. Interior / Architecture Assessment Procedure (subject to periodic review and update without prior notice) 1. All applications will be processed in strict confidence. 2. An application must meet the mandatory admission criteria before further assessment will be made. In general, the processing time is around 11 weeks upon receiving the complete application document. 3. Applicants who pass the mandatory admission criteria are required to make a presentation (approximately 15 minutes ) to the Design Admission Panel consisting of members from the following organizations / categories: Senior management of Hong Kong Design Centre The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong Design Institute Professional design associations in Hong Kong Other design institutes of good reputation Entrepreneurs / investors from business/industry community Business education sector / lay persons SME organizations /associations 4. Any appeal against the decision of the Design Admission Panel must be lodged within two weeks to the Executive Director of HKDC. The decision of the Executive Director is final. 5. Any Applicant rejected by the Design Admission Panel may revise and improve its business plan to apply again after 4 months from the date of rejection. 2

3 Compulsory Training Courses and Networking Events All applicants must agree to attend the HKDC/ DIP specified training courses and networking events (e.g Entrepreneurship for Design & Creative Business Certificate Programme, Business of Design Week, Knowledge of Design Week etc). A minimum of 70% attendance rate is required by HKDC in order to enjoy the financial assistance packages. Otherwise strict penalty shall be imposed (e.g. suspension, alteration or cancellation of the financial assistance packages at the sole discretion of HKDC) i) Entrepreneurship for Design & Creative Business Certificate Programme (7 + 1), As the owners of design companies often get caught in conflicts due to the dual role of CEO and Creative Director. CEO emphasises on economic efficiency, performance, cash flow and business growth, while Creative Director advocates on creativity. Often either efficiency is to suppress creativity, or creativity is to sacrifice efficiency. The Programme will look into the tips to take into account this dual identity. In addition, the course teaches Incubatees the basic knowledge of Accounting, Branding, Products/ Marketing, business report writing, presentation skills, networking with design and manufacturing industries with visits to the Pearl River Delta s design enterprises and manufacturers. ii) Business of Design Week (BODW) Being one of the most significant events on the international design calendar, BODW is Asia's leading annual event on design, innovation and brands organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre since Bringing the best of the global design world to Hong Kong, BODW has aimed to encourage businesses to unleash the power of design by focusing on the vital relationship and complex interplay between design and business. The week-long BODW features BODW Forum, the most significant platform for designers and business leaders to exchange ideas, outreach networking, concurrent conferences and exhibitions. Incubatees are given the opportunity to participate in some of these events and attending a minimum of two of the pertaining seminar tracks to enriching their knowledge in the design fields, where available. iii) Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) This is a not-to-be missed annual opportunity to updating designers with the latest design knowledge from globally renowned design experts who share their invaluable experience with the participants. KODW highlight how design thinking can improve and adding value to business and the community. Incubatees are given the opportunity to participate in the pertaining seminar tracks. Incubatees are required to attend a minimum of two of the pertaining seminar tracks, where available. iv) Quarterly Networking Sessions These are regular networking sessions through which the design incubatees can meet with investors, industry experts and DIP alumni in order to expand their business network and forge business cooperation deals with potential partners. Design Incubation Centre House Rules i) Successful applicant(s) must adhere to the Design Incubation Centre house rules and regulations as promulgated by HKDC from time to time. Reference may be made to the HKDC-DIP Facility & Operation Policy Handbook which will be distributed to the successful applicant upon signing the Licence Agreement ii) Successful applicant(s) would also be required to sign an Agreement and Acknowledgement as per the Appendix in Section E 3

4 Section C : Summary of Terms and Conditions for License Agreement 1. Please note that this Section only attempts to summarize a few key elements of the Licence Agreement to be signed by a successful Applicant. In the event of any discrepancy or conflict between the actual Licence Agreement and information this Section, the terms of the actual Licence Agreement shall prevail. 2. (a) If there is any proposed change of the name of the Applicant (whether it is the company name as registered under the Companies Ordinance or the business name as registered under the Business Registration Ordinance), the Applicant should apply in writing to HKDC for prior approval and provide the relevant information as required by HKDC before such change of name is effected. HKDC reserves its absolute right to reject or to approve such change of name with or without any conditions imposed. (b) If the Applicant proposed to transfer or assign the Licence Agreement to another legal entity (the Assignee ) (e.g. from an unincorporated body to an incorporated body), the Applicant should apply in writing to HKDC for prior approval. HKDC reserves its absolute right to reject or to approve such application with or without conditions imposed and if such approval is given, the Assignee is required to join the Design Incubation Programme in place of the Applicant and it shall be required to execute such documents as required by HKDC to confirm its agreement and undertakings to be bound by the terms and conditions of the Licence Agreement as entered into by the Applicant and also other documents as required by HKDC as a condition of its approval. (c) Should the Applicant wish to use its address at the Design Incubation Centre to receive mail and other correspondence for its holding company or subsidiary companies, the Applicant is required to apply in writing to indicate their relationship with the Applicant and the relevancy to the product(s) / service(s) that the Applicant will develop. (d) Should the Applicants need to apply for any type of visa for working or residing in Hong Kong, HKDC shall not act as a sponsor for the visa application under any circumstances and it is the responsibility of the Applicants to deal with relevant parties or authorities in the course of the visa application. All staff of the Applicant should have already obtained legal status to take up employment and undertake business activities in Hong Kong 3. The office space will be approved for and allocated to the Applicant based on its number of full time staff and business needs. The office space allocation is subject to variation in the size of offices available at the time of approval. Any expansion or reduction in office space should be applied in writing to HKDC, stating the space required and the reason(s) of relocation. Approval or rejection to the application is at sole discretion of HKDC. 4. The Applicant is required to move into the Design Incubation Centre within 3 months from the date of approval by the Design Admission Panel, failing this the approval to join the will be revoked. 5. The incubation period for each new incubatee will commence on the first day of moving into the Incubation Centre for a maximum of 2 years when the Applicant will graduate from the Programme, subject to periodic milestone assessments as stated below, and the terms and conditions in the Licence Agreement. 6. (a) The Applicant s status as an incubatee will be assessed by the and approved by the Design Admission Panel Chairman at the 4 th, 12 th and 20 th month after moving into the Design Incubation Centre. (b) Once the 4 th month quantitative milestone assessment is passed, the incubatee is entitled to claim reimbursement in accordance with the terms and conditions of the financial aid package available to the incubatee in the first year of the incubation period. (c) Once the 12 th month quantitative milestone assessment is passed, the incubatee is entitled to claim reimbursement in accordance with the terms and conditions of the financial aid package available to the incubatee in the second year of the incubation period. (d) Should the Incubatee fail to achieve any one of the 4 th, 12 th or 20 th month quantitative milestone assessment, its incubation status may be revoked and will be required to vacate from the Design Incubation Centre within 1 month from the day that the Applicant is notified in writing. All incubation services and benefits, including the use of any business centre services and facilities will also be withdrawn immediately. (e) (f) The incubation services and financial aid packages, available to the Incubatee after it has achieved the 4 th and 12 th month quantitative milestone assessment, are earmarked only for specific purposes and usage. The Incubatee will be notified of the terms and conditions in the service usage and financial aid packages as soon as it is entitled to these benefits. Before the commencement of the License Agreement, the incubatee shall pay a non-interest bearing and refundable deposit equivalent to 2 months' licence fee to Hong Kong Design Centre, and to execute a Direct Debit Authorization through a local bank to pay the monthly license fee into a designated HKDC bank account. 7. The Applicant may be required to graduate from the Programme earlier if all milestone targets stated in the Applicant Form are fulfilled before the end of the incubation period. 4

5 Section D: Example of Milestone Summary (See Application Form: Section C) 3. Business activities and results (3.1) Number and Nature of Business Partnership (manufacturer, distributor,. etc) (3.2) Number and Nature of Sales & Marketing Activities (3.3) Number and Nature of Clients Obtained (state the client names if known) (3.4) Number and Nature of Award Application (3.5) Number and Nature of Patent / Trade Mark Application (3.6) Number and Nature of Fund Raising Activities (e.g. HK Business Angel Network, Youth Business Hong Kong etc) (3.7) Number and Nature of Headcount (Full or part time) at end of the period (3.8) Sales Revenue in the period (HK$ 000) 0-4 th month 5-12 th month th month (Note: measurable and quantitative data in point form must be provided where appropriate) 3 x Manufacturers 3 x Manufacturers 1 x Manufacturers 3 x Retailers (HK) 6 x Retailers (HK) 9 x Retailers (HK & Abroad) Presentation and Pitch to 2 x Product Launch Press Release 2 x Product Launch Press Retailers and Contractors and Interview Release and Interview 1 x Exhibitions / Trade Shows 1 x Exhibitions / Trade Shows 1 x Client for Architectural/ 1 x Client for Architectural/ Interior 2 x Client for Architectural/ Interior Design Consultation/ Design Consultation/ Service Interior Design Consultation/ Service 1 x Client for Bespoke Furniture Service Red Dot Award: Design NA HKDA Global Design Awards Concept x Trade Mark Application: N/A ABC brand N/A HK Business Angel Network Youth Business Hong Kong FT: 2 FT: 3 FT: 3 PT: 1 PT: 1 PT: 2 HK$100 HK$250 HK$ Product / Project / Design Service Development: (1.1) Brief description of key design work / service for products or projects (1.2) Number and Nature of design sketches to be produced (please specify the design nature) (1.3) Number and Nature of sample / prototype / design proposal ready for production or delivery (1.4) Number and Nature of Deliverables of design service / projects / products (1.5) Number and Nature of other product / service / business development plan and its description 0-4 th month 5-12 th month th month (Note: point form with acceptable, measurable and quantitative data must be provided where appropriate) LOCKHEAD brand new watch OEM project for client ABC company LOCKHEAD brand new watch collection collection for 2012 (example on watch collection for 2013 for product design) 10 x sketches for LOCKHEAD 15 sketches for OEM project 10 x sketches brand 3 x samples, including OEM 4 x samples 4 x samples design and LOCKHEAD brand series NA Manufacturing and delivery of Manufacturing and delivery of OEM LOCKHEAD brand 2012 collection project for ABC company NA Start design work for new necklace NA (2 x models) 5

6 1. Product / Project / Design Service Development: (1.1) Brief description of key design work / service for products or projects (1.2) Number and Nature of design sketches to be produced (please specify the design nature) (1.3) Number and Nature of sample / prototype / design proposal ready for production or delivery (1.4) Number and Nature of Deliverables of design service / projects / products (1.5) Number and Nature of other product / service / business development plan and its description 0-4 th month 5-12 th month th month (Note: point form with acceptable, measurable and quantitative data must be provided where appropriate) 2011 F/W collection skirt and 2012 S/S collection skirt and 2012 F/W collection casual wear and trousers (example for fashion trousers Tees design) 30 x sketches 20 x sketches (skirt and trousers) 30 x sketches (casual wear) 20 x samples, 10 x samples 10 x samples Delivery of 2011 F/W Delivery of 2012 S/S collection 4 Delivery of 2012 F/W collection 6 x collection skirts and 2 trousers casual wear and 10 x Tees NA Collaboration with Japanese fashion NA designers on new Asian style fashion 1. Product / Project / Design Service Development: (1.1) Brief description of key design work / service for products or projects (1.2) Number and Nature of design sketches to be produced (please specify the design nature) (1.3) Number and Nature of sample / prototype / design proposal ready for production or delivery (1.4) Number and Nature of Deliverables of design service / projects / products (1.5) Number and Nature of other product / service / business development plan and its description 0-4 th month 5-12 th month th month (Note: point form with acceptable, measurable and quantitative data must be provided where appropriate) Client project x 3 (names??) Client project x 4 Client project x 3 (for branding and packaging) 10 x sketches for AA 15 x sketches for company 1 15 x sketches for company 1 5 x sketches for BB 15 x sketches for company 2 15 x sketches for company 2 8 sketches for CC 5 sketches for company 3 5 sketches for company 3 2 x script for video shooting 10 sketches for company 4 project XX 4 x samples for AA company 2 x samples for company 1 2 x samples for AA 2 x proposals for company 2 3 x samples for BB 4 x samples for company 3 3 x samples for CC 4 x proposals for company 4 15 min video shooting for editing Delivery of client project x 3 Delivery of client project x 4 Deliver of client project x 3 NA NA Sample design for if and Red Dot award 6

7 Section E: Appendix The below document is to be signed by newly admitted incubatees and is subject to review and revision by HKDC at its sole discretion without prior notice Agreement and Acknowledgement of Availability of Aid Package, AND Compulsory HKDC-DIP Training Programmes/Courses/Networking& Events, AND Design Incubation Centre House Rules, Under the I/We, XXXX the licensee (the Licensee ) under the Design Incubation License commencing DD/MM/YY (the licence ) with Hong Kong Design Centre as the licensor (the Licensor ), hereby acknowledge the following: 1. My eligibility to claim reimbursement under the Aid Package is subject to my/our fulfillment of the conditions stipulated in Clauses 17.1 and 17.2 of the Licence, AND my/our participation / enrollment / completion in the compulsory training programmes and networking activities as required by Hong Kong Design Centre. Any non-fulfillment of this requirement by me/us will result in the suspension, alteration or cancellation of the Aid Package to me/us at the sole discretion of Hong Kong Design Centre. The current requirements on attendance rate and the policy on non-fulfillment of the requirements are subject to changes and special approval by HKDC-DIP (DAP Chairman) with my submission of full justification and valid reasons. Approval / rejection is at the sole discretion of HKDC. Details of the policy are listed below: Programme Requirements on Attendance Policy on Non-fulfillment without special approval by HKDC-DIP Design Admission Panel Chairman Entrepreneurship for Design & Creative Full programme (including the +1 visit to PRD factories /design establishments) For the first non-fulfillment of any Programme, all business cost incurred by the incubatee in the next 3 Business (7 + 1) in the first year of the Licence Period Knowledge of Design 2 suitable seminar/workshop tracks per months will no longer be reimbursable. For repeated Week (KODW) year, if available non-fulfillment, all business cost incurred by the Business of Design Week (BODW) 2 suitable seminar/workshop tracks per year, if available incubatee in the next 6 months will no longer be reimbursable. This policy does not affect the maximum Quarterly Networking All sessions to be announced by HKDC Sessions from time to time amount of fund available for reimbursement for each incubatee during the 2-year incubation period 2. The policy and funding arrangement of the Aid Package and the above mentioned programmes are subject to changes and availability from time to time at the absolute discretion of the Licensor and the Licensor further reserves its absolute right to abolish the Aid Package upon notice to the Licensee pursuant to Clause 17.4 of the License; 3. The Aid Package is solely for assisting in financing part of my/our office operational and business cost, and should never be regarded as a source of financial income for me/us. 4. I/We shall not hold the Licensor liable for any loss or damages suffered by or otherwise occasioned to me/us in the event that the Aid Package/programmes are not made available to me/us for whatever 7

8 reasons. 5. I/We understand and accept that the allocation or re-allocation of my/our incubatee office room is subject to the sole discretion of the Licensor, which does not guarantee the gross or actual size, location and any specific condition of the office room. I /We accept the incubation office allocated to me / us as per its current condition, including the partial partition wall(s) (if existed) with a space at least 50cm from the ceiling. I/We fully acknowledge that it is NOT allowed to carry out any renovation work to the office room without written pre-approval of HKDC, especially any renovation work that is in contravention of the latest fire safety and / or other relevant laws/ regulations / rules (e.g. covering up any part of the door window). I /We understand and agree that the incubatee office is for the exclusive use of my/our company staff per the Design Incubation Licence basically for designoriented activities, and should not be operated solely as a sales & marketing office or retail outlet; 6. I/We agree to abide by the Design Incubation Centre house rules as promulgated by Hong Kong Design Centre from time to time, NOT to make any nuisance or disturbance, such as unreasonable noise, that will infringe the rights and privacy of the neighbouring incubatees, to keep the assigned incubatee office clean and tidy at all times, to switch off the office lights and air conditioning when out of office, and participate in the above mentioned HKDC-DIP compulsory programmes and to contribute my / our efforts to help building a design-spirited-cluster at the InnoCentre. I /We fully understand that any violation of the house rules or other terms and conditions of the DIP Licence will result in the suspension or cancellation of my /our eligibility to the Aid Package, and /or termination of the DIP Licence at the sole discretion of HKDC. 7. Any incubatee who needs to overstay at DIP Centre after the expiry of the DIP Licence, which is subject to prior approval by HKDC at its sole discretion and availability of space, will be required to pay the extra rental cost at HKD17.0 per sq. ft gross and arrange insurance coverage on public liability for the overstay period. The same rental rate HKD17.0 per sq. ft gross is applicable to fraudulent cases in which the DIP Licence is terminated and the rental cost during the entire stay of the incubatee at DIP Centre is to be recovered by HKDC. 8. I/We agree to complete a yearly survey about my/our business progress after graduation by filling out the questionnaire form (No.: HKDC-DIP-ID-Gradu-Survey-xxx) and return to DIP Secretariat within the scheduled deadline. This is to help HKDC keep track of the business progress of incbatees after they have been graduated from the programme. I/We acknowledge receipt of relevant information regarding the Aid Package for my/ our reference and I/We fully understand the nature, purpose and operation of the Aid Package and I /We hereby agree to make good use of the Aid Package with clear knowledge of the matters as stated in this Acknowledgement. Confirmation by Incubatee (Name and signature) 8 Date