HKU obtains excellent results from RGC’s 2020/21 research funding schemes

New Delhi: The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has received excellent results in the recent announcement by the Research Grants Council (RGC) on a number of competitive peer-reviewed research funding schemes.

Among the 21 Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) Group Research Projects funded by the RGC, HKU has been funded with nine projects as coordinating institution, and participates in six other projects led by other institutions. The total funding received for Group Research Projects and Equipment Grant amounts to $46.2 million.

In 2020/21, the RGC allocated an additional budget of $150 million to support the One-off CRF Coronavirus and Novel Infectious Diseases Research Exercise. HKU has been awarded 15 out of 27 projects and received $94 million, representing 63% of the total awarded amount, which is the highest number of awards and the largest share of awarded funding amongst all institutions in this round of the CRF exercise.

Launched in 2018/19, the Research Impact Fund (RIF) aims to promote impactful and translational collaborative research projects and encourage academics to articulate the potential of research to deliver benefits for the wider community. In the 2020/21 exercise, HKU secured six out of 13 awarded projects in the RIF. The six projects coordinated by HKU received a total funding of $36.5 million.

In the ninth round of the Areas of Excellence (AoE) Scheme, which aims to provide a platform to nurture areas of international excellence through high quality research and inter-institutional collaboration, HKU participates in two of the four projects funded, and leads one the following project namely “2D Materials Research: Fundamentals Towards Emerging Technologies” led by Chair Professor Wang YAO of Research Division for Physics & Astronomy under the Faculty of Science. The project has been awarded a funding of over HK$80 million.

HKU Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Max Shen heartily congratulates all successful applicants and their research teams and said the grants are clear demonstration of the research competitiveness of the University’s faculties and investigators. He called on HKU members to take part in future funding exercise to realise the University’s ambition to be Asia’s leading global university with cutting-edge research in critical areas.