Liberal Arts Education Transformation For Life Emerald Publishing
Start main Content

Innovation and Impact Fund (IIF)

  1. Lingnan Home
  2. Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI)
  3. Funding
  4. Innovation and Impact Fund (IIF)

Faculty Stream

  1. Faculty Stream
  1. The project should be led by a full-time academic staff member, or by Director of the Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI) teaming up with a full-time academic staff member as a Collaborator.
  2. The ceiling of the fund for each project is HK$80,000.
  3. The Project Leader (PL) may invite LU students, alumni and/or external partners to join the project team.
  4. The project should be largely related to the academic discipline of the PL/academic collaborator.
  5. Initiatives underpinned by research conducted under LU by the PL/academic collaborator or his/her department/centre/unit are encouraged.
  6. The duration of the project is normally one to two years.

Application Deadline

Applications accepted all year round

Submit your application form and upload your proposal 

Purpose

The entrepreneurial spirit is essential to all successful initiatives, including knowledge transfer (KT) activities. The Programme aims to promote entrepreneurship at LU by encouraging faculty members and students to lead meaningful projects using their academic knowledge.

The Programme will support faculty members and students with innovative ideas, practical solutions and executable plans to challenge status quo for the betterment of the society. Grant recipients can use the fund to develop prototypes for a new product or proof of a new concept that will lead to or is aimed at starting a NGO, social enterprise or company for impact on humanity, or commercialising outputs of research work conducted under LU. The fund should not be considered as an investment to sustain a business, it is the seed fund for project and business start-up.

Eligibility

  1. The project should be led by a full-time academic staff member, or by Director of the Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative (LEI) teaming up with a full-time academic staff member as a Collaborator.
  2. The Project Leader (PL) may invite LU students, alumni and/or external partners to join the project team.
  3. The project should be largely related to the academic discipline of the PL/academic collaborator.
  4. Initiatives underpinned by research conducted under LU by the PL/academic collaborator or his/her department/centre/unit are encouraged.


Application Procedure

  1. Applicants should submit their application and proposal online to LEI.
  2. The project proposal should be limited to 4 pages (in 12-point font) and include the followings:
  1. Project Leader and project team members
  2. Project title;
  3. An executive summary;
  4. How the project may meet the above-mentioned assessment criteria;
  5. Description, format, and schedule of activities (e.g. business model, date, time, duration, venue, and the target number of participants, etc.);
  6. (for Student Stream only:) Information of the Project Advisor and CVs of the Project Leader and project team members;
  7. Information of the community partner(s), investor(s), and/or NGO(s);
  8. Type and expected number of target beneficiaries;
  9. Revenue expected to be generated;
  10. Expected outcomes, achievements, impact, and contributions of the project
    • On target beneficiaries
    • On local community being engaged
    • On students
  11. Budget
    • Expenses (e.g. staff cost, marketing/activities cost)
    • Amount of fund requested
    • Income (e.g. programme fee, contribution by volunteers, etc.)
    • Other sources of financial support (e.g. donation, sponsorship, etc.)
  12. Key Performance Indicators and Measurement (i.e. how the impact/performance will be measured)
    • On target beneficiaries
    • On local community being engaged
    • Regarding commercial viability
    • Overall project evaluation
  13. Sustainability of the project/business
  14. Plan on how to share the project outcomes and impact with the Lingnan community and the wider public
  15. Confirmation by the PL that he/she has the capacity to conduct the project without prejudice to his/her existing commitment in other research work, teaching, and administrative duties, with the endorsement of the Department Head/Faculty Dean
    1. Applicants with preliminary ideas are welcome to meet with LEI for advice and comments before drafting a comprehensive proposal.
    2. A successful applicant will be disqualified and/or, where appropriate, be required to refund the fund granted from the Entrepreneurship Programme if he/she provides any false or misleading information in the process of application.

Assessment Criteria

Assessment will be conducted by the IIF Entrepreneurship Programme Management Committee on the basis of:

  1. Potential of creating significant impact leading to improvement in the quality of life for the community or raising professional standards or business opportunities in the industry
  2. Comprehensiveness, originality, and innovativeness of the project
  3. Feasibility and sustainability of the project
  4. Quality of the execution plan
  5. Commercial viability and potential to attract additional investment
  6. The team and proposed partners’ professional capability
  7. The extent of social, economic, environmental and cultural impact on the beneficiaries
  8. Concrete partnership with the community partners/NGOs
  9. Active and extensive participation of LU students (If any)

Funding Available

1. For projects funded in the Faculty Stream, a project account will be opened with the Project Leader (PL) as the budget controller. The use of fund should comply with the University’s rules and regulations (e.g. on purchasing). Unspent fund upon project completion will be returned to the IIF.

2. On completion of the project, presentation of original receipts for spending and a final report are required. All changes to the approved project and deferral of completion date require the approval of the IIF Entrepreneurship Programme Management Committee in advance.

3. The Fund is a token subsidy and can be held concurrently with other subsidies and sponsorships. However, applicants are required to declare and report on details of any subsidies and sponsorships already received at the time of application or as soon as they are awarded.

Final Report

  1. The PL is required to submit a final report within one month upon the completion of the project. The final report should include:
    1. An account of the activities carried out (with information on date, time, venue, number of participants, etc);
    2. An evaluation of the project with details on:
      • Impact of the project against agreed objectives;
      • Results achieved;
      • Use of the Fund;
      • Ways of disseminating the project results or findings inside and outside of campus;
      • Obstacles encountered and areas for improvement;
      • Feedback and evaluation by beneficiaries (e.g. surveys, focus groups, etc.) and, if applicable, LU students (e.g. learning reports, reflective journals, questionnaire, focus group, etc.);
    3. Further developments and sustainability of the project;
    4. A financial statement with all the original receipts for expenses incurred within the project period;
    5. A video and/or photo CD of all the project activities;
  2. LEI will arrange regular meetings to review the progress during the project implementation phase. Upon completion of the projects, project teams may be invited to present their findings and outcomes to the University community and wider public. LEI and other units of the University, such as OCPA and ORKT, may also use the materials provided in the report for publicity purpose.

For Enquiry

Tel:          2616 8063 / 2616 8072 / 2616 8074

E-mail:    lei@ln.edu.hk

Walk-in: Office of Service Learning, LBY101