Support for SMEs

To help startups from across the design world navigate and overcome challenges in the critical early stages of business development.

Design Incubation Programme (DIP) is a two-year incubation programme, which offers the following assistance to successful applicants:

• Provides free office space for the first year of the programme and subsidises office space for the second year, which is valued at a maximum of HKD240,000.
• Provides financial support of up to HKD280,000 to designers to help with operational, marketing, and development costs.
• Provides comfortable, productive, and well-equipped business centres for design startups. 
• Connects designers with mentors from a range of different sectors and disciplines, who can offer invaluable advice and assistance on every aspect of running a design business: from accounting and finance to operations, marketing, strategy, and legal guidance.
• Provides a variety of training programmes, events, and workshops to enhance designers’ industry knowledge, spark ideas, and enrich their businesses.
• Holds business outreach programmes which provide designers with marketing and promotion platforms and opportunities to collaborate with others in the design industry.

• The applicant must have his/her application-company as a start-up Hong Kong-registered company (i.e. incorporated 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 local application, the applicant must be a Hong Kong permanent resident. For overseas applications, the applicant must have an overseas registered company that has registered for not more than three years as at the date of application. The applicant must set up a Hong Kong registered company immediately to qualify for programme commencement after the application approval is granted.
• The applicant is expected to require less than 350 square foot net of office space at the time of admission in general.
• A shareholder or partner of the applicant must not be a shareholder or partner of a current Incubatee or graduated company in the DIP or Fashion Incubation Programme (FIP), or other incubation programmes funded by the Government.
• The applicant-company must have as at the date of application at least two full-time staff (the applicant included) based in Hong Kong, and
  (i) at least one of them must be the major shareholder and must be a designer in a recognised design discipline;
  (ii) the aggregate shareholding percentage or interest of the full-time designer(s) must be in majority; and
  (iii) all staff must be able to work in Hong Kong legally.

• Design Incubation Programme does not accept application all year round. Please visit the Programme's website for the application periods.
• Applicants shall apply online or submit completed forms and information by email to dip@hkdesigncentre.org.