The Centre for Civil Society and Governance (the Centre), established in December 2002, is the first research centre in Hong Kong dedicated to enhancing our knowledge of civil society. The Centre focuses on studying the nature, constituents, dynamics, and roles of civil society, particularly its contributions to governance.

It aims to contribute to achieving a sustainable society by developing community-based, innovative solutions to inform policy deliberation and collective actions.

Professor LAM Wai-Fung is the director of the Centre.

The Centre houses three specialised labs dedicated to different areas of research and action:

• The Non-profits and Philanthropy Lab (NPPL) seeks to enhance the resilience, capacity and governance of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector as a means to attain social impact.
• The Policy for Sustainability Lab (PSL) aspires to build the social-ecological resilience as a way to enhance the capitals for sustainability.
• The Social Entrepreneurship and Civic Action Lab (SECAL) strives to understand and foster community-based collective action as a vehicle for utilising human ingenuity, forging reciprocity, and building social capital.