STEM Internship Scheme

Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities

Objective

Launched in 2020, the STEM²⁵ Internship Scheme (the "Scheme") aims to encourage STEM students to gain innovation and technology ("I&T")-related work experience during their studies and to foster their interest in pursuing a career in I&T after graduation, so as to enlarge the local I&T talent pool. The Scheme provides allowance for undergraduates and postgraduates taking full‑time STEM-related programmes in designated local universities to enrol in short-term internships.

As an additional measure to attract I&T talents, the Scheme has been expanded as from June 2023 to cover the internship opportunities offered by government-funded research and development centres ("R&D Centres") and the Hong Kong Productivity Council ("HKPC") to undergraduates and postgraduates studying STEM programmes in local and non-local universities (including the Greater Bay Area ("GBA") campuses established by designated local universities). The expansion aims to encourage STEM students of other places to gain first-hand experience and understanding of the local I&T ecosystem and boost their confidence in pursuing a career in I&T in Hong Kong.

Eligibility²⁶

Participating Institutions: Designated local universities including the campuses they established in the GBA, government-funded R&D Centres and HKPC are eligible to participate in the Scheme. A full list of the participating institutions and their contacts is available under "Enquiry" below. Individual participating institutions may supplement further requirements and make specific arrangements to suit their own circumstances.
Students: Both local²⁷ and non-local undergraduates and postgraduates majoring in full-time eligible STEM-related programmes offered by the participating universities are eligible. Non-local students²⁸ are allowed to enrol in internships in Hong Kong only, subject to the conditions of stay of their visa/entry permit issued by the Immigration Department. For the Scheme operated by R&D Centres and HKPC, undergraduates and postgraduates majoring in full-time eligible STEM programmes in local²⁹ or non-local³⁰ universities (including the GBA campuses established by designated local universities) will be eligible. Student interns receiving the allowance under the Scheme cannot concurrently benefit from other internship subsidies provided by the Hong Kong SAR Government (the "HKSAR Government").
Employers: All companies/organisations are welcomed to offer I&T-related internship places for, and recruit eligible interns to benefit from the Scheme, subject to the arrangements of individual universities. Participating employers may be requested by universities to provide supporting information, documents and proofs as may be considered necessary to substantiate that, among other things, the internship places offered are I&T-related and meaningful, and they are expected to provide proper supervision for the student interns. Participating universities may arrange visits to the workplaces of student interns during the internship to confirm that the internship experience of students is I&T-related and meaningful.

Participating employers may pay the student interns an honorarium on top of the allowance under the Scheme with reference to their internal policies, industry benchmarks or market rates³¹. Companies/organisations should not receive other subsidies from the HKSAR Government for engaging any student interns under the Scheme.

Key Features

Internship Placements: Internship places can be newly created or belong to existing in-house internship programmes of the companies/organisations. They have to meet the following requirements –
1. local or non-local full-time placements²⁸ lasting at least 28 calendar days; and
2. offer meaningful I&T-related work (internship places arranged by universities will be subject to the vetting of the respective universities).
The Scheme has adopted a broad definition of I&T under which an internship place will be regarded as I&T-related as long as its actual work contains I&T elements (e.g. technology-related intellectual property work, digital marketing, data analysis for the manufacturing industry, etc.). Participating employers, R&D Centres and HKPC may pay an honorarium during the internship period on top of the allowance under the Scheme. They have full discretion in determining the honorarium level (without affecting the allowance received by the student interns under the Scheme) with reference to their internal policies, industry benchmarks or market rates³¹.
Allowance and Funding: The student interns will receive the allowance subject to the arrangements of individual participating institutions. The allowance for each student intern under the Scheme is HK$11,490 per month³² with effect from 1 April 2025, with a cap as prescribed by individual participating institutions, but not more than 90 days in each academic year. ITC will disburse the funding to the participating institutions on a reimbursement basis.

Application

Individual participating institutions are responsible for administering the Scheme and prescribing their respective application procedures and arrangements. Interested students are welcomed to approach the respective participating institutions.

It is at the discretion of individual universities to decide whether an internship place offered by a company/organisation is I&T-related and meaningful, taking into account the feedbacks of past student interns, and supporting information from employers, and set a ceiling on the number of student interns under the Scheme in each company/organisation to enrich student experiences. Interested employers are welcomed to approach the respective universities.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Which institutions are participating in the Scheme? What are the application procedures and application period for the Scheme?

There are currently nine participating universities, namely:

(a) City University of Hong Kong ("CityU");

(b) Hong Kong Baptist University ("HKBU");

(d) Lingnan University ("LU");

(e) The Chinese University of Hong Kong ("CUHK");

(f) The Hong Kong Education University ("EdUHK");

(g) The Hong Kong Polytechnic University ("PolyU");

(h) The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology ("HKUST"); and

(i) The University of Hong Kong ("HKU").

Government-funded R&D Centres refer to –

(a) Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Centre ("APAS");

(b) Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute ("ASTRI"), designated as the R&D Centre for Information and Communications Technologies;

(d) Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel ("HKRITA");

(e) Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre ("LSCM"); and

(f) Nano and Advanced Materials Institute ("NAMI").

Each participating institution is responsible for administering the Scheme and prescribing its application procedures and arrangements. Interested students may approach respective participating institutions and interested employers may approach the respective participating universities for details.

Can non-local students join the Scheme?

Yes. Starting from April 2021, both local and non-local students who are legally employable in Hong Kong and meet the eligibility requirements are welcomed to join the Scheme. Non-local students are allowed to enrol in internships in Hong Kong only, subject to the conditions of stay of their visa/entry permit issued by the Immigration Department.

Are final year students eligible to join the Scheme?

Final year students who have fulfilled all the course/credit requirements are eligible, so long as the internship commences before the expiry of student status and they meet the requirements of the individual universities. Non-local students should be subject to the conditions of stay of their visa/entry permit issued by the Immigration Department.

Are students allowed to take classes while undertaking internship under the Scheme?

Only full-time internship is eligible under the Scheme. However, subject to the arrangement of individual universities and agreement of the participating employer, student interns may take unpaid study leaves insofar that the full-time employment requirement is met.

On the premise that the requirements of their university have been met, students may undertake internships under the Scheme during gap semester/year with a cap as prescribed by their university but not more than 90 days in each academic year.

Can a company/organisation employ student interns from different participating universities at the same time under the Scheme?

Yes. As individual universities have prescribed their respective arrangements for application and allowance disbursement, the participating employer should ensure that it meets any requirements as set by the respective universities of the student interns. Such arrangements may include setting a ceiling on the number of student interns in each company/organisation and deciding whether an internship place is I&T‑related and meaningful based on the feedbacks of past student interns.

You may visit the following websites for more information on the relevant requirements under:

the Minimum Wages Ordinance (Cap. 608):
https://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/erb/smw_esi_wes.htm

Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF):
https://www.mpfa.org.hk/en/mpf-system/mandatory-contributions/employees

For the avoidance of doubt and any complications on the understanding of remuneration to be provided by the participating employer/ institution to the student intern for the internship, it is advisable that the agreed remuneration to be paid and received by the student intern, including salary, wage and any expected allowance, including the allowance under the Scheme, where applicable, should be clearly stated in the employment agreement for the internship and agreed between the employer and the intern, before commencement of work.

Enquiry

Interested students and employers may contact the following participating institutions where appropriate –

Universities	Contact
City University of Hong Kong	Career and Leadership Centre Tel: (852) 3442 5591 Email: stem.internship@cityu.edu.hk
Hong Kong Baptist University	Miss Penny LO Career Centre Tel: (852) 3411 5278 Email: pennylo@hkbu.edu.hk
Hong Kong Metropolitan University	Student Affairs Office (Career Development and Entrepreneurship) Tel: (852) 2768 6644 Email: career@hkmu.edu.hk
Lingnan University	Office of Student Affairs – Career Advising Services Tel: (852) 2616 7406 / (852) 2616 7446 Email: career@LN.edu.hk
The Chinese University of Hong Kong	Career Planning and Development Centre Tel: (852) 3943 7202 Email: cpdc@cuhk.edu.hk
The Education University of Hong Kong	Career Development Service Tel: (852) 2948 6246 Email: careerservice@eduhk.hk
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University	Careers and Placement Section, Student Affairs Office Tel: (852) 3400 2446 Email: stem.cps@polyu.edu.hk
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology	Career Center Tel: (852) 2358 6688 Email: itcstem@ust.hk
The University of Hong Kong	The Centre of Development and Resources for Students Tel: (852) 3917 2317 Email: stem@cedars.hku.hk

R&D Centres and HKPC	Contact
Automotive Platforms and Application Systems R&D Centre	Ms Anna LI Tel: (852) 2788 6089 Email: annali@hkpc.org
Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute	Talent Acquisition Team Tel: (852) 3406 2707 Email: summerintern@astri.org
Hong Kong Microelectronics Research and Development Institute (joining in 2025-26)	Ms Carol LAI Tel: (852) 3870 1211 Email: carol.lai@mrdi.org.hk
Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel	Mr Hino CHANG Human Resources Section Tel: (852) 2627 8160 Email: recruit2@hkrita.com
Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre	Ms Koey YONG Tel: (852) 3973 6274 Ms Milly CHAN Tel: (852) 3973 6286 Email: recruit@lscm.hk
Nano and Advanced Materials Institute	Mr Andy WONG Human Resources Unit Tel: (852) 3511 3486 Email: andywong@nami.org.hk
Hong Kong Productivity Council	Ms Anna LI Tel: (852) 2788 6089 Email: annali@hkpc.org