Milestones

1970s – Taking Roots

1970	The Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) was officially founded and registered on 20th April 1970 by a group of eighteen pioneering computer professionals.
1970	The first issue of the HKCS News Bulletin was published on June 1970 to facilitate communications and interaction among Society members.
1972	The HKCS News Bulletin was renamed as GI-GO ( Garbage-In Garbage-Out), a then fashionable acronym to denote the importance of accurate user requirements in system design.
1973	The Code of Professional Conduct was released for Society members.
1974	The Hong Kong Computer Census was produced, the first ever report on the actual number of computers installed in Hong Kong as well as the number and type of personnel employed in the computer field.
1974	The Privacy and Computer Subcommittee was formed.
1974	The Computer Audit Club was initiated as a spin-off between the HKCS and the HK Society of Accountants.
1974	The Professional Ethics Subcommittee was formed.
1977	The South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC) was inaugurated with HKCS as a founding Member together with Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Thailand.
1978	The first Hong Kong Computer Conference was held, which became an annual major event in the IT community.

1980s – Branching out

1982	The HKCS membership went international with the reciprocal membership arrangement with the Association of Computer Machinery (ACM).
1984	The first regional computer conference in Hong Kong was held, SEARCC 84 with close to a thousand delegates and over 100 exhibitors.
1985	In recognition of the Society’s growing community influence, The President of the Society was appointed as a Member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee, representing the science and technology disciplines.
1985	The monthly HKCS publication, Hong Kong Computer Journal, was launched
1985	A joint Membership Agreement was signed with the British Computer Society (BCS) to implement a reciprocal membership discount scheme.
1986	The Data Processing Professional Certification Subcommittee ( renamed the Professional Accreditation and Recognition Committee in 1988) to evaluate the feasibility of introducing computing professional certification and recognition in Hong Kong.
1987	DBSIG (Database Special Interest Group) was formed
1987	The HKCS became a constituent society of the Institute of Computer Professional (ICCP), a federation of major computing societies including the ACM, with the Society being the first professional body outside the North American continent to join the organisation.
1987	The first Fellows (subsequently renamed as Distinguished Fellows) were conferred to distinguished members of the computer community in Hong Kong.
1988	BISSIG ( Bulletin Information Services SIG) and PCSIG ( Personal Computing) were formed.
1989	The Joint Membership Agreement between the HKCS and the Australia Computer Society (ACS) was signed.

1990s – Synthesis and Symbiosis with China

1990	The Society advocated that an independent EDP Training Board should be established in view of the EDP manpower shortage, which led to the establishment of the Committee on EDP Training at the Vocational Training Council.
1991	The Unified Chinese-Japanese-Korean (CJK) Character Set (DIS10646) was finalised in Hong Kong with participation from the Society and relevant organisations from PRC, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea, marking a major milestone in the internationalisation of Asian ideographic languages.
1993	The Society raised a total fund of HK$250,000 to build a computer museum in China.
1993	A Director of External Affairs (China) was officially appointed to focus on building relationship with China in recognition of its rapid economic growth and the 1997 Hong Kong sovereignty handover.
1993	The Society signed a MOU with the China Computer Federation (CCF) to organise joint activities.
1994	The annual computer conference, HKICC94 was for the first time held in two cities ( Hong Kong and Guangzhou), the first of a series of annual “One Conference, Two Cities” events with China.
1994	The Network SIG was formed.
1994	The Computer Journal was renamed as the IT Magazine with its inaugural issue published in March 1994 as the first bilingual IT magazine in Hong Kong.
1994	The Society submitted a proposal to the Hong Kong Government on the establishment of an IT Functional Constituency for the Legislative Council of the SAR after 1997.
1995	The Society, with the support of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, developed a Standard Glossary of Chinese Computer Terminology on a web server to be accessed through Internet.
1996	The Society made a submission to government to establish a bureau for Information and Communications Technology.
1997	The 14th National Olympiad in Informatic (NOI ’97 ) hosted by HKCS, the first national event held in HKSAR after handover.
1998	The Society co-produced with Radio and Television Hong Kong the highly rated 13 episodes of docudrama “IT Files” to highlight the value and potential of IT in everyday life.
1998	The Society established the prestigious and annual IT Excellence Awards, the first IT Awards in HK for products and applications to recognise and promote local software development and to strengthen the culture and branding of IT for Hong Kong.
1998	The SIGs were consolidated into 6 groups, Database (DBSIG), Internet and Networking (INSIG),Software Process Improvement Network (HKSPIN), Information Security (ISSIG), e-Business (eBiZSIG) and LinuxSIG.
1998	HKCS became one of the professional bodies members and fellows of which were entitled to vote for the Legislative Councillor representing the IT sector.
1998	With support from the Education Department, a “Sino- Hong Kong Youth Software Competition” was held to select outstanding students to represent Hong Kong in software design competition in SE Asia.
1999	HKCS, in collaboration with RTHK, produced a TV docudrama “IT Files”.

2000s – Symbiosis with the IT Profession and the Community

2000	Following on the enormously popular TV docudrama “IT Files”, the Society launched the production of “IT Files II” with twelve episodes.
2000	The Society celebrated its 30th anniversary with a gala reception with Mr. Chee Hwa Tung, Chief Executive of HKSAR Government, as the Guest of Honour.
2000	To commemorate the Society’s 30th anniversary, the HKCS Scholarship Fund was established to offer scholarships to selected students studying computer-related courses in all our local universities.
2000	Collaborating with the Hong Kong Public Library, the Society’s “IT Education & Community Task Force” conducted a series of community courses on computers, such as “Learning on the Internet”, “Internet Security”, “Kids and the Internet”.
2000	A breakthrough was made in organising by the Hong Kong Software Process Improvement Network SIG (SPIN) the first Asia-Pacific Software Engineering Process Group (AP-SEPG) Conference in Hong Kong.
2001	The Society hosted the first China IT Forum in Beijing bringing together IT professionals and government officials from the Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau to explore collaboration opportunities in IT related areas.
2001	The Society became an Executive Committee Member of the Asia Pacific ICT Awards (APICTA) representing the Hong Kong IT industry and to submit selected local entries to compete for the annual Awards.
2001	The Society launched the International Computer Driving Licence (IDCL), an international standard of IT skills competency for the assessment of computer application proficiency.
2001	Joining force with the Shanghai Computer Society, Children’s’ Computer Centre of China Welfare Institute and Shanghai Working Institute of Young Pioneer, the first annually held “IT Summer Youth Camp” was organised in Shanghai to foster interest among today’s youths in the two cities.
2001	The newly revised, re-formatted “VISION”, a quarterly newsletter to our members, was launched.
2002	Followed on the success of the TV docudrama “IT Files” and “IT Files II”, the Society co-produced with RTHK “IT Files III”.
2002	Established the “IT Easy Link” hotline service in conjunction with the HK Government to assist members of the community in the use of IT so as to bridge the digital divide and build a digital inclusive society.
2002	Introduced the “Secondary School IT Training Scheme” with the Hong Kong Government and HKEDCity to enhance IT knowledge of our secondary school students.
2002	Two new SIG groups were established, Multimedia Specialist Group (mmSG) and XML Specialist Group.
2002	The HK International Computer Conference (HKICC) celebrated its 25th anniversary.
2002	The formation of YouthClub@HKCS was announced.
2003	The Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Scheme for members was established.
2003	Supported by the Hong Kong Government, ISIA, HKITF , HKASPIC and PRD Software Alliance, The first Pearl River Delta Software Forum held in Hong Kong was attended by 200 government and industry representatives from Beijing, various Guangdong cities and HKSAR.
2003	“IT Easy Link” was extended to include ‘IT Easy Link for Business” with hotline support as well as face-to-face advisory services for SMEs in Hong Kong.
2004	The 10th anniversary of JICC ( Joint International Computer Conference) with China was held in Kunming.
2004	Two new Membership classes were created, with the class of Distinguished Fellow replacing the previous Fellow Class in the recognition of outstanding IT individuals , and the new Class of Fellow designated for well experienced Members.
2004	With support from the HK Government, APICTA2004 ( Asia Pacific ICT Awards) was hosted by Hong Kong.
2004	Four representative IT organisations ( HKCS, HKITF, ISIA and WTIA) came together to launch the “IT Matters for Hong Kong” campaign to revitalise the image and perception of the IT industry in our community.
2004	Coorganised with the Hong Kong Government, the “HK IT Roadshow in Public Housing Estates” visited 6 public housing estates to educate the community on how IT can improve their daily life.
2004	The new weekly e-newsletter What’sNew@HKCS was launched.
2005	With the support of the SME Development Fund, the “CMM Fast Track Programme” for Hong Kong SME software companies was successfully kicked-off in January 2005 to assist SMEs to obtain CMM Level 2 and 3 faster and cheaper.
2005	A milestone agreement was reached with the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) for reciprocal recognition of our professional qualifications.
2005	With funding support from OGCIO, the “IT Professional Certification” Project was initiated to create a pilot certification for three senior IT titles of Project Director, Systems Architect and Quality Assurance Manager.
2005	A Cyber Learning Centre was opened in Tai O, Lantao Island, for use by the local community.
2005	The previous 8 SIGs were re-organised into 4 Special Interest Divisions, namely, e-Business SID, Information Security SID, Quality Management SID and Emerging Technologies SID.
2006	The Hong Kong Institute for Professional Certification was established to assess and approve applications for the three senior certified titles created.
2006	The Society received the “Outstanding Partnership” of the Caring Company 2206/7 Award from the Hong Kong Council of Social Services.
2007	The Society was selected by the first ever Hong Kong ICT Awards, organised by the OGCIO, to be the leading organisation for the e-Business and e-Learning Award categories.
2007	A new Division of the Society , the CIO Board, was established.
2007	With further funding from OGCIO, three new IT certification titles ( Associate Project Manager, Business Analyst(Information Systems), Information Security Professional) were developed.
2007	The annual Hong Kong International Computer Conference (HKICC) celebrated its 30th anniversary, with HKICC2007 being recognised by the Hong Kong Government as an official celebrative event for the 10th anniversary of the establishment HKSAR.
2007	The new HITSID ( Health IT Special Interest Division) was established.
2008	Inspired by China hosting the 2008 Olympics , the Society sponsored “ICT Sports and Fun Day”, the first ever sports day in the IT industry in Hong Kong with the participation of over 5000 members of the industry and their families.
2008	The HKCS Social Clubs were formed, which included the Wine Club, Dining Club, Investment and Sports Club.
2008	The “HKCS/CityU mentorship Programme” was launched with its Department of Information Systems and supported by the CIOs of the CIO Board.
2009	The first HKCS Outstanding IT Achievers Awards was launched and awarded to outstanding individuals for their strategic role in helping to drive competitiveness and place HK at the forefront of knowledge creation and IT innovation.
2009	The professional development initiative of the Society marched on with a new project, with funding from OGCIO, to develop a Certification Roadmap for IT professional certification for Hong Kong.
2009	The Society celebrated its 40th anniversary with a gala dinner attended by Mr. Donald Tsang, CE of HKSAR as the Guest of Honour.
2011	HKCS Talent Cultivation Committee was formed in 2011 to promote ICT as a career of choice to high school and university students.
2011	HKCS announced “Development of a Certification Roadmap for IT Professional Certification”.
2012	HKCS has launched a series of activities to mark Alan Turing Year in 2012 to instill further awareness of ICT in the community.
2012	HKCS Youth Club – iSpirit was established to promote information and communications Technology (ICT) as career to young people and students.
2012	With the support of OGCIO, HKCS has launched a ICT Talent cultivation program video consists of 11 episodes.
2012	The Society signed a MOU with the Community College at Lingnan University and Lingnan Institute of Further Education (LIFE) to cultivate potential young talent and further the development of information and communications technology in Hong Kong.
2012	HKCS new corporate identity — new logo was created
2014	Hong Kong Institute for IT Professional Certificate (HKITPC) reached an agreement with The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to recognise Certified Professional of IT (CPIT) Credentials.
2014	The Society signed a MOU with Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education to cultivate potential young talent and further the development of information and communications technology in Hong Kong.
2015	HKCS FACE Club was established to attract more female to choose ICT as their career, and to provide opportunities for female members to engage in Hong Kong ICT and HKCS activities.
2015	Innovation and Entrepreneurship Club was established to assist members in innovation, entrepreneurship, career development, and job creation.
2015	The Society signed a MOU with Hong Kong Institute of Bankers to enhance professional training for banking and financial services industry.
2016	The Society signed a MOU with Hong Kong Physiotherapists’ Union to promote mutually and internationally recognised training activities and exchange opportunities between two parties.
2016	The Society signed a MOU with Taiwan CIO Association to foster the communication among Hong Kong and Taiwan IT management.
2016	The Society signed a MOU with Zhuhai Association of Outsourcing Service (ZAOS) to foster the communication among Zhuhai, Hong Kong and Macau IT management.
2017	The Society leaded a team representing Hong Kong to emerged triumphant again in the Asia Pacific Information and Communication Technology Awards 2017 (APICTA 2017), making it the biggest winner in this year.
2018	The Society signed a MOU with the China Computer Federation (CCF) to organise joint activities.
2018	The previous 7 SIGs were re-organised into 4 Specialist Groups, namely, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Enterprise Architecture, Financial Technology.
2018	The Society leaded a team representing Hong Kong to emerged triumphant again in the Asia Pacific Information and Communication Technology Awards 2018 (APICTA 2018), making it the biggest winner in this year, and record breaking in the history.
2019	The Society leaded a team representing Hong Kong to emerged triumphant again in the Asia Pacific Information and Communication Technology Awards 2019 (APICTA 2019), making it the biggest winner in this year