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APPLY FOR placement

selection PROCESS

Students cannot enrol in the Impact Lab course automatically but need to be selected by a partner company​ through a selection process. Students wishing to apply to be part of the Impact Lab course should read carefully through the selection process information below and understand the course requirements before applying. Please visit the About & FAQ sections on this website to get the answers to the most common questions and read the Impact Lab Course Syllabus.

 

The Impact Lab is a highly competitive course and not all students who apply are accepted. Students who apply earlier will be given preference.

Selection Process Timeline
Eligibility
Reasons for Applying
Application & Enrolment Process
If Deadline for Applications Passed
The Number of Companies Students Can Apply to
Content of a Motivation Letter

NOTE: If the above does not answer your questions regarding the course, please visit the FAQ and About pages for more information. If that still does not help, contact us.

PARTNER COMPANIES

GREEN Hospitality

 

GREEN Hospitality's mission is to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and bring about innovative solutions to the sustainability challenges of the hospitality industry. We are a nonprofit platform dedicated to working with hotels, restaurants, supply chains, start-ups, civil society organizations, and the government to catalyze the transition into sustainability for the hospitality industry in Asia and beyond. 

Placement Opportunities:

  • Digital Marketing & Communications: our communications team is key to bringing awareness of sustainability and our impact to the general public and our industry audiences; research content, craft messages, and monitor the performance of our campaigns through data analytics.

  • Podcast: our podcast is a way to spread our Thought Leadership and showcase solutions to the industry as well as the general public. Manage the whole podcast production cycle - research interesting topics and potential speakers; engage and manage high-level stakeholders; develop questions and content; edit sound and coordinate the publishing of new podcast episodes.

  • Sustainability Consulting - Program Management & Research: as one of our offerings, we work with hospitality groups to assist in sustainable practice implementation. Manage a project - communicate with key stakeholders, coordinate meetings, update project progress dashboards, research best practices and sustainability policies, and create dashboards and tools useful to our advisory services.

  • Training & Curriculum Development: training is our key product that is aligned with our mission of empowering industry professionals with sustainability knowledge. Research up-to-date tools useful to our training, prepare curriculum and training materials, develop up-to-date content, create presentations, assist with delivery of training, collect and analyse feedback, and implement improvements. 

  • Business Development: help us make a greater impact through business development activities that fundraise the necessary resources for us to continue our work. Research potential customers for our products; manage and improve our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database; craft messages to invite our stakeholders to events and workshops; prepare business proposals and sponsorship offerings.

  • Fundraising & Project Development: to make an impact, we develop various programs and projects. To be able to put them in motion, we need financial and other resources hence we continuously seek support from the government and private organizations through fundraising. Help us develop fundraising and grant proposals. Research fundraising opportunities, update team dashboards, coordinate communication with stakeholders, and identify avenues to support our programs and projects through available funding in Hong Kong and abroad.

  • Administration, HR & Team Engagement: our people are our biggest value; however, working with a large number of students and volunteers with high turnover is challenging. That is why we have developed and are looking to enhance our onboarding process, digitalising and automating processes to make sure we are compliant, provide great support and experience to our team members and engage our people to learn more about sustainability on a personal level.

  • [FULL] Administration: Legal - Finance - Accounting: as any organisation, we also need to comply with the various laws and keep our accounting and financial matters in check. If you study business administration, law and/or accounting/finance, this might be the right spot for you to see how an organisation is run and put some of the theoretical knowledge into practice.

  • Other Positions - check all the position descriptions below and feel free to approach us if you would be interested in something not mentioned!

Details of all placement opportunities can be found here!

Address your applications to:

  • Digital Marketing: Ms Jacqueline Matthews, Manager

  • Podcast & Thought Leadership: Ms TC Li, Manager

  • Finance & Accounting: Ms Luciane Zanella, Manager 

  • Consulting, Business Development, Fundraising + others: Ms Lucia Loposova, Executive Director

Soap Cycling

 

Asia's first and largest soap recycling charity. Soap Cycling is a charity that works with the hospitality industry to collect, process, and distribute lightly used soap bars and bottled amenities. These life-saving items are then distributed to disadvantaged communities around the world, particularly in Asia.

Soap Cycling combines its environmental mission to reduce waste and promote recycling with a strong social focus. New programs focus on creating employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups in Hong Kong, focusing on increasing the local impact.

Soap Cycling offers a great combination of allowing students to take over the regular operations and training their entrepreneurial sense when developing new projects. 

Students who are motivated and interested in building something real and long-lasting are highly desired.

At Soap Cycling, we encourage teamwork and we want student interns to become an essential part of our operations!

Placement Opportunities:

  • Operations

  • Human Resources

  • Marketing 

Address your applications to Ronald Ho, General Manager.

Gowld Art Centre

GAClogo_blue on transparent.png

Gowld Art Centre ("GAC") is a social enterprise founded in 2017 that pursues to become the mediator of arts in Hong Kong. GAC aims to act as the bridge between creativity and people by providing arts education and art events to students and the general public, supporting local artists, and building broad and diverse art communities. We want to foster personal growth, creative confidence, and community engagement through a wide range of customized artistic experiences.

 

We are looking for candidates with strong communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills, who are interested in below fields and tasks. 

Placement Opportunities:

  • Social Media and Marketing: Best for someone with design skills and savvy with using tools such as Canva, Photoshop, or Wix. Managing the social media account and sending monthly newsletters to customers to promote our services as well as our artists. Build strategies to broaden the audience groups. Managing our website and expanding the e-commerce channels.

  • Sales & Outreach: Developing collaboration opportunities with schools, corporations, and NGOs for facilitating events and programs.

  • Product/ Program Development: Best for someone with design or artistic skills. Designing and executing new art products or services. Assisting in developing our educational curriculums planning for fundraising events and building strategies for expanding social impact.

  • Operations and Studio Management: Enhancing the look of the studio space and developing an effective inventory system

Address your applications to Vivian Seo, General Manager.

24 Hour Race

 

We exist to challenge our generation to lead global action against slavery through the 24-hour race movement. Join the 500,000 youth across the world taking a stand against modern-day slavery. $11,000,000 raised so far, 2,000 victims have been rescued and we are just getting started.

Placement opportunities can be found here.

Address your applications to Daniel Hestevold, CEO.

EmpowerU

 

EmpowerU’s mission is to provide high-quality education to those on the margins, so they can find their voice and use it to create a better future.

By combining technology, community, and award-winning educators, we have created a unique impact-based learning pedagogy that aims to empower ethnic minority students and migrant domestic workers to create a generation of leaders who'll usher in sustainable social impact in their communities.
 
Learn and engage with some of the over 380,000 domestic workers in Hong Kong. Make your university life more productive in helping these workers, understand their culture, and share your knowledge with them through direct interaction. Here is your unique chance!
 
HKU students will embark on a journey to experience leadership through an administrative managerial role in the creation and management of different educational programs and activities for domestic workers and ethnic minorities. Students will help advocate and promote cultural understanding, inclusion, and respect for these populations in Hong Kong.

Placement opportunities can be found here!

Address your applications to Joshua, Operations Coordinator.

Partner: REN

r é n 人 Hong Kong

 

r é n is both a verb and a noun - it means ‘humanity’ and ‘to be kind’. That’s a combination at the heart of what we do. That and food.  Starting in 2023, our enterprise began as an idea from our founder Jo Soo-Tang. To support and nurture disadvantaged young people in Hong Kong, she drew on contacts in the restaurant industry for a series of fundraising initiatives. But rather than just donate, the r é n community is active. Through our introductions, young people work in the city’s most exclusive kitchens, giving them invaluable life experience. This goes beyond kitchens too - r é n has helped young people gain work across different industries, and transformed and empowered lives in the process.

As a social enterprise start-up, we have already helped place more than 50 individuals into employment, organised 20+ events and created 50+ activations with partners in the F&B field such as the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong; Soho House Hong Kong, The Mira Hong Kong, and more.

We are looking for young, energetic students with an entrepreneurial mindset who are passionate about driving social impact and empowering disadvantaged individuals.

 

Placement Opportunities:

Marketing

  • Assist in creating and executing marketing campaigns.

  • Develop content for social media, newsletters, and promotional materials

  • Support event promotion and community engagement initiatives

  • Conduct market research to identify trends and opportunities.

  • Collaborate with the team to enhance brand awareness and reach.


Business Development

  • Assist in identifying/researching potential partners in the F&B sector, as well as potential funders/ sponsors.

  • Support outreach efforts to build relationships with new stakeholders.

  • Help analyze market trends and develop strategic recommendations.

  • Contribute to the development of proposals and presentations.

  • Engage in meetings and discussions to drive business growth.

Address your applications to Bianca, Head of Projects.

District Development Unit

The world’s climatic future hinges on how developing regions grow.  How we build in these areas will determine how we consume energy and emit carbon for generations. District Development Unit (DDU) is an impact enterprise that delivers climate-resilient housing and community infrastructure in emerging markets grappling with rapid urbanization. DDU integrates research and analysis to deliver evidence-based high-impact projects demonstrating improved health and well-being, access to education, and reduced carbon emissions. We’re currently active in Mongolia, Nepal, Hong Kong and the Philippines, collaborating with NGOs, local government, construction professionals, and academics.

 

Placement Opportunities:

 

  • Business Development: As an early-stage startup, we’re looking for motivated students to help us develop and diversify our business strategy.

  • Communications and Marketing: Students will help build out our social media strategy to reach a broader audience.

  • Corporate Outreach: Students will assist in sourcing new possible partners and funders to extend our current network.

  • ESG/Impact: Students will help develop impact performance criteria and measurement tools.

Address your applications to Joshua Bolchover, Director.

Foundation for Shared Impact

 

Foundation for Shared Impact (FSI) is a foundation aimed at fostering social innovation and entrepreneurship. It is an exciting new venture that will, among others, create unique fundraising events and programs tailored for social enterprises, work on social business incubator aspects, develop unique overseas experiential programs, and more. 

 

You will be responsible for providing practical business solutions for social impact organizations and small businesses run by ethnically diverse entrepreneurs, including outreach, consulting, and developing a database of resources. This opportunity is suitable for those who want to use their skills in Marketing, Data Management, and more to have hands-on experience in helping small businesses reach their full potential.

If you are willing to work in a dynamic environment, ready to take up challenges, and eager to join an energetic team, then FSI will be your choice. It is especially suitable for highly entrepreneurial and proactive students who excel at taking an idea and bringing it to life.
 

Placement Opportunities:

  • Community Engagement & Program Management - Youth Empowerment: In this role, you will build a stronger community of impact leaders by working alongside the Impact Lab Alumni Network Committee, taking a leadership role in coordinating, driving and improving the Mentoring Program and assisting with other alumni/committee activities as a Student Representative. You will be responsible for program management from updating dashboards, preparing presentations, creating submission forms, and crafting messages or emails, to taking care of events and preparing content for social media. There will be an opportunity to get your hands on creating digital automation and you may have an opportunity to learn how to manage a website and social media channels (no experience required but welcome).

  • Communications & Marketing: You will be responsible for creating interactive and impactful digital marketing campaigns as you learn to generate engaging social media content and discern the data analytics behind successful social media content marketing. You will also be tasked with media outreach to increase the visibility of FSI and our partners of social impact organizations, as well as the planning and coverage of events and workshops held by FSI for the individuals we serve. Apply for this position if you have good writing, communication, photography, graphic design, video production, and/or web management skills!

  • Community Connections: You will be responsible for assisting with the day-to-day operations of this program that connects professionals with social impact organizations to accelerate change. Your work will range from sourcing high-impact organizations and assisting them with capacity building to running impactful events and programs. You should have excellent written and verbal communication skills; attention to detail and proficiency in data management and stakeholder management are preferred.

  • Shared Data Project: You will be responsible for helping us create a database of all charities in Hong Kong which will be shared with the public to create a more efficient and transparent industry. This early-stage project entails everything from research, Python/information scraping, website building, marketing matters, volunteer engagements, and more. Students with Python scraping experience will be heavily favoured.

  • Community Business Support: You will work on hands-on projects to support grassroots small businesses, social impact organizations, and ethnically diverse entrepreneurs. We are looking for students with strong skills in digital marketing, communications, and content creation (photography, videography, social media design).

  • You will work on FSI's GuideFong project to list and create content to promote HK's under-resourced entrepreneurs, and you will have the opportunity to directly engage with entrepreneurs to help them solve real business challenges through consultations. During your internship period, you will also participate in and coordinate a series of workshops for entrepreneurs through our Mentorship Program for Ethnically Diverse Entrepreneurs, sometimes together with our corporate partners. You should have excellent written and verbal communication skills; experience in digital marketing, social media, photography/videography and/or design is preferred. We hope to attract students who are genuinely interested in supporting small businesses. Read an interview with the previous CBS Impact Lab interns about the experience here.

Address your applications to:

  • Youth Empowerment: Lucia Loposova

  • Communications & Marketing: Tung Ching Li

  • Shared Data Project & Operations: Jon Pedersen

  • Community Business Support & Community Connections: Vivian Seo, Adnan Riaz

FSI

Migrasia Global Solutions

Migrasia is a think-and-do tank with the goal of eliminating forced labour and exploitation of migrant workers. We foster and incubate solutions relating to migration in Asia, supporting a range of innovative and data-driven education, technology, investigation, and research projects.

Placement Opportunities:

  • The technology team is focused on building technology solutions/applications and analyzing large data sets. If you are interested in web development, large language models (LLMs), big data, web scraping, machine learning, or automation, apply now.

  • The research team conducts primary research to address information gaps in migration literature and identify anti-trafficking intervention points for action. If you are interested in research based on qualitative and quantitative data, apply now.

  • The investigations team is focused on manufacturing supply chains, looking into labour supply chain violations. If you are interested in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) initiatives, and labour recruitment in the manufacturing sector, apply now.

  • The migration specialist team is focused on providing support to current and prospective migrant workers from developing countries in Asia, namely the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos. If you have native language skills for one of these countries and want to support migrants, apply now.

Address your applications to Paras Kalura (Chief Operating Officer) and Isla Wilson (Chief Program Officer).

vidi labs - Seekr

Vidi Labs is a Hong Kong-based AI startup developing Seekr, an AI wearable technology that helps visually impaired people (VIPs) and the elderly with a way to regain independence. Our technology allows our users to navigate new spaces, read texts, identify objects, and more with a click of a button.  Come work with our diverse, dynamic, award-winning team and our amazing community of visually impaired users, and contribute directly to making the world a more inclusive place! 

Placement Opportunities:

  • Business Development - Are you a great communicator and strategist? Come build partnerships, formulate projects, and help our technology reach out to more visually impaired people!

  • Operations - Are you logical and good at problem-solving? Work with us to ensure our everyday operations are in great shape!

  • Content Writer & Translator - Can you write succinct and impactful copies bilingually in English and Chinese? Contribute to our storytelling and help us spread the word!  Proficiency in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin Chinese would be highly useful in all roles.

Address your applications to Lamia Sreyia, Co-Founder.

start an impactful business

For exceptionally entrepreneurial and independent students, separate projects dealing with brand-new social enterprise ideas may be possible.

 

If interested, please email us.

HIATUS PARTNER COMPANIES 

The following partner companies/projects are currently put on hold (not seeking students). However, should you have a burning desire to revitalize or be a part of these entities then you may express your interest by emailing us and you might get the chance to do so. 

852 Designs/HKU Apparel

​​

852 Designs is a student-run social enterprise that offers creative students a chance to design and sell apparel and merchandise for the HKU community (and beyond).

NOTE: This is a pre-incorporation project; only very entrepreneurial students should apply. Students with photography, video editing, Photoshop, Illustrator, or other design/creative skills are preferred. Also, we are looking for students with computer programming and web development skills.

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