Projects of PolyU honoured with Research Impact Fund

Five research projects led by scholars at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have been awarded the Research Impact Fund (RIF) 2022/23 by the Research Grants Council, with a total grant value of HK$27.55 million. PolyU also topped local universities in terms of the number of funded projects.

The RIF encourages academics to harness the potential of their research to deliver benefits to the wider community, spurring impactful and translational research projects. It also promotes collaboration between academia and government departments, the business sector, industry and research institutes.

The RIF grants successful projects with funding of up to HK$10 million per project for a three to five-year period. In total, 13 projects were supported by the RIF in the 2022/23 exercise.

Sustainability is an essential focus for translational research. The five PolyU awarded projects deliver impactful solutions to address the needs for a sustainable community. They cover research areas spanning from medical innovation, smart buildings and construction, green technology, and materials science to advanced manufacturing. In particular, the PolyU study on deconstruction and reuse technologies for steel and composite structures has been awarded HK$9.75 million for a five-year duration, which is the highest funded amount under the RIF 2022/23.

Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU, said, “These funding achievements are highly encouraging, affirming PolyU’s research excellence in a wide range of scientific, engineering and human health areas, in which the University delivers impactful solutions for sustainable development. The awarded research teams demonstrate PolyU’s strengths in converting academic research into real-world applications, which is crucial for supporting the innovation and technology ecosystem in Hong Kong.”