The Evaluation Study of the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund
Introduction
In Hong Kong, social innovation (SI) in recent years has gained momentum rapidly. The HKSAR government played a part of this movement and one of its key initiatives was the launch of the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) in 2013.
Acting as a catalyst for social innovation, the SIE Fund connects the community with different sectors, including businesses, non-governmental organizations, academia and philanthropies to create social impact through innovative solutions that address poverty and social exclusion. The SIE Fund prioritizes its initiatives in three pillars: Innovative Programme, Capacity Building and Research.
The 1st Evaluation Study
Starting from March 2016, the SIE Fund commissioned The University of Hong Kong (HKU) to conduct a longitudinal evaluation study to assess the performance of the SIE Fund in achieving its objectives in terms of financial and non-financial impacts of the SIE Fund overall, of the intermediaries engaged by the SIE Fund as well as the projects and initiatives funded or supported by the SIE Fund.
The 2nd Evaluation Study
In April 2021, the SIE Fund recommissioned HKU to conduct a second evaluation study with objectives to understand the latest development of the social innovation ecosystem in Hong Kong by measuring the current level of public awareness of the social innovation, social enterprise, and the SIE Fund, as well as evaluate the performance of SIE Fund in achieving its mission.
The research objectives of this evaluation study are to:
- to assess the impacts of the SIE Fund;
- to appraise the effectiveness of the initiatives of the SIE Fund in achieving its objectives;
- to identify critical success factors and learning points for the SIE Fund’s future developments; and
- to recommend areas of improvement for managing the SIE Fund.
Social Impact Assessment of the Social Innovative Programs
One part of the evaluation study is to examine the social impact delivered by the Funded social innovative projects funded under the Innovative Programme of the SIE Fund. The research team explored the outputs and outcomes created by the funded social innovative projects, and in addition we reflected the impacts based on a return-on-investment (ROI) approach. For illustration of the methods used for the calculation in our study and explanations of the assessment report, please click 這裏 for more details.
Project Helper
- Ms. Cora Ho
- Mr. Edmund Au
- Ms. Clara Au-Yeung
Research Publications
Chan, C., Wong, A. (2022). Valuing the impact of self-rated health and instrumental support on life satisfaction among the Chinese population. BMC Public Health 22,1227. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13626-7
Chan, C. H., Chui, C. H.-K., & Chandra, Y. (2021). The role of social innovation policy in social service sector reform: Evidence from Hong Kong. Journal of Social Policy, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0047279421000167
Chui, C., Chan, C., & Chandra, Y. (2021). The role of social enterprises in facilitating labour market integration for people with disabilities: A convenient deflection from policy mainstreaming? Journal of Social Policy, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047279421000490
Chan, C. H., Chui, C. H. K., Chan, K. S. T., & Yip, P. S. F. (2019). The role of the social innovation and entrepreneurship development fund in fostering social entrepreneurship in Hong Kong: A study on public policy innovation. Social Policy & Administration, 53(6), 903-919. https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12524
Using the Satisfaction With Life Scale as Social Impact Measurement. Chan, Chee Hon, Kwan, Ted.
News and Events
Prof. Paul YIP of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Hong Kong and Dr. Chee Hon CHAN of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University were commissioned by the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) to conduct the 1st wave population-wide survey from November 2021 to March 2022 on the awareness and knowledge on social innovation, social enterprise, and social entrepreneurship.
Social Policy Research Limited (SPR) has been appointed to carry out the survey. If you are selected by SPR, we invite you to complete the survey which will take about 15-20 minutes.
If you have any questions, please email us: isaacwcp@hku.hk.