Originally funded by the Strategic Development Grant of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK) and currently funded by Ms. Stella Fung, Executive Director of Beijing Tong Ren Tang Fook Ming Tong, The Start-up and SME Resource Centre (SSRC) was founded in 2020 with the dedication to empowering start-ups and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong by providing innovative, practical, and high-quality business consulting services. Guided by the principles of sustainability, creativity, and collaboration, SSRC seeks to address real-world challenges faced by businesses, particularly start-up companies and SMEs impacted by the COVID-19, through tailored solutions that drive growth and resilience.
Mission
Aligned with the mission of the School of Business of HSUHK, SSRC nurtures competent and responsible leaders by offering our students different transformative opportunities to cultivate entrepreneurial spirit and gain hands-on experience in solving business problems. SSRC also provides HSUHK students professional and research training workshops not limited to business consultancy skills, English consultancy report writing and presentation skills, brand management, marketing research, etc. By leveraging the expertise of our faculty, the dedication of our students, and the support of our extensive network, SSRC strives to be a catalyst for the sustainable development of local businesses while fostering a dynamic and thriving business community. SSRC also promotes business research by forming faculty-student research teams to conduct research and disseminate research findings a wider audience, to potentially impact public policy.
Members and Supporting Units
Executive Committee
Dr. Lawrence LEI
Director
Ms. Ivy LEUNG
Associate Director
Mr. SIU Yam Wing
Associate Director
Internal Advisory Committee (in alphabetical order)
- Ms. Elisa CHAN (Director, Advancement and Alumni Affairs Office, HSUHK)
- Mr. Michal CHENG (University Librarian, HSUHK)
- Ms. Amy CHU (Manager, Career Planning and Development, Student Affairs Office, HSUHK)
- Dr. David CHUI (Associate Director (Practice), Department of Economics and Finance, HSUHK)
- Professor Desmond HUI (Professor and Head of Department of Art and Design, HSUHK)
- Dr. Kenneth KWONG (Assistant Professor, Department of Marketing, HSUHK)
- Dr. Patrick MOK (Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Design, HSUHK)
Chairman of External Advisory Committee
Mr. Calvin CHENG
Chairman, Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association
Members (in alphabetical order)
- Dr. Lian CHAN (CEO, DEHTLET Eco-System Limited)
- Mr. Andy CHANG (Director, Range Design Ltd.)
- Mr. Leslie CHOY (Founder and Chairman, Ausupreme International Holdings Ltd.)
- Mr. Terrence HUI (President, HKOEF)
- Mr. Philip HUNG (Director, PwC Hong Kong)
- Dr. Alex LAU (Partner, IPAS)
- Mr. LI Kwan Chun (Director, Welson Construction Engineering Ltd.)
- Mr. Anthony LEUNG (GM, Metro Broadcast)
- Mr. Alex MA (Chairman, GAAHK)
- Ms. Pamela MAK (Member, Election Committee of Hong Kong 2021-2026)
- Mr. William SHUM (Founder, Memorigin Watch Company Limited)
- Mr. Rex TAM (Executive Vice President, Corporate Banking, Dah Sing Bank)
- Mr. Alec TONG (Chairman, Qualification and Examination Board, HKICPA)
- Ms. Titania WOO (Executive Director, The Hong Kong Management Association)
Business Consultancy Services and Service Models
SSRC focuses on giving students transformative training in diverse areas to promote and foster their all-round development. SSRC’s goal is to groom HSUHK students to give relevant and proper advice to the targeted clients by equipping them with creative problem-solving skills, as well as relevant knowledge in diverse areas like accounting, finance, management, marketing, law, and research skills. Students will not only acquire knowledge and skills through serving as a student consultant but also develop a good work ethic and a strong sense of responsibility. At the end of each project cohort, students present their consultancy reports to a panel of industry experts and academicians and receive professional comments before submission of the consultancy reports to the clients.
SSRC provides business consultancy services (projects) to local SMEs and puts a strong emphasis on innovative and practical solutions, focusing on the real need from the user’s perspective. Also, SSRC ensures that the projects are relevant to the clients and are of high quality through a co-creation process with input from students, clients, and faculty members together. Each client company is teamed up with HSUHK faculty-student consultancy team and representatives from the invited client companies, with a focus on two types of consulting services:
- Creative Solutions
Through the application of the creative problem-solving approach, SSRC aims at offering a creative solution to an identified problem that a business is facing. - Specific Solutions
SSRC also provides support to deal with some specific issues that the clients identify. These issues typically include, for example, companies’ legal compliance in Hong Kong; accounting, auditing, and tax requirements and duties; corporate governance-related matters; investment opportunities; management of staff members; suppliers and customers; feasibility study of a new product launch; customer satisfaction survey; service and product improvement, etc.
Opportunities are available for HSUHK students to serve in SSRC as student consultants, who will be provided with ample chances to work with entrepreneurs and business executives to deal with their real-life business problems. Professional training workshops are also provided for students before they work on the projects.
The HSUHK Outstanding SME ESG and Business Performance Award
ESG and sustainable development have become essential components of business operations across all industries, and they are critical steps for SMEs to move forward. SSRC hosted the inaugural “The HSUHK Outstanding SME ESG and Business Performance Award” (“award”) on 20 December 2024. Organized by The School of Business and SSRC and co-organized by the Hong Kong Small and Medium Enterprises Association, the award recognizes small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that excel not only in business performance but also in integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives into their operations to achieve sustainable growth. In 2024, 9 companies were awarded “The Outstanding SME ESG Product Award”, and 19 companies received the “Outstanding SME ESG Service Award”, with a total of 28 SMEs being awarded.
The award was strongly supported by numerous statutory bodies and associations, including (not in specific order): The Occupational Safety and Health Council; Business Environment Council; Equal Opportunities Commission; Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals; Hong Kong Red Cross; Hong Kong Green Building Council; The Hong Kong Registered Contractors Association; SME Sustainability Society; The Hong Kong General Chamber of Small and Medium Business; Hong Kong SME Economic and Trade Promotion Association; Hong Kong SME Development Federation; Hong Kong (SME) Economic and Trade Promotional Association; SME Global Alliance; and Riskory Consultancy, award technical advisor.
Seminars and Company Visits
In the third quarter of 2025, SSRC will organize different seminars on ESG and sustainability together with company visits for SMEs’ representatives and HSUHK students. Please stay tuned.
Research Projects
In June 2025, SSRC started promoting business research by forming faculty-student research teams to conduct research with focus mainly on SMEs and disseminate research findings to a wider audience, to potentially impact public policy.
Research Publications / Current Projects
- Hong Kong SMEs’ Adaption Level of AI: Starting with Implementation, Striving for Integration [Authors: WONG Ming Him, Matthew (BBA-FAFT Year 2) and Dr. Lawrence LEI]
News and Events
Here is the latest on SSRC, stay tuned for our upcoming events here
Upcoming Events
The Launching Ceremony of The HSUHK Outstanding SME ESG and Business Performance Award 2025
Date / Time: 11 July 2025 (14:00-16:30)
Venue: Fung Yiu King Hall (A401), HSUHK
ESG Seminar and Organization Visits
Date / Time: September 2025 (TBC)
Venue: TBC
Award Presentation Ceremony of The HSUHK Outstanding SME ESG and Business Performance Award 2025
Date / Time: November 2025 (TBC)
Venue: TBC
