support collaborative research with other countries.
The RGC has been in existence for 16 years and, according to Professor Chin, Hong Kong has made tremendous progress in terms of quality of research and the international recognition academics are achieving as a result of their work.
The RGC began its work in 1991 with a budget of HK$100 million. Today its HK$650 million budget annually supports over 800 GRF projects as well as about 10 larger group collaborative projects.
All grants are awarded on a competitive basis. Professor Chin maintains that this competitive environment is driving both innovation and research quality.
"Competition engenders excellence. The fact that we require researchers to compete for research funding coupled with the peer review process that is handled by international experts, has brought Hong Kong research to a world class level. Quality standards have reached internationally-recognized high-level and the funding from the RGC and its review mechanism has a lot to do with this"
"Innovation can flourish only in an open and free environment. The RGC quite deliberately does not specify topics to researchers. Instead academics are free to study and teach what they believe is important and to propose in whatever areas they may wish to explore."
"At the same time, the community must also value the achievement of Hong Kong's researchers to date and the importance of high quality research and training of research students to the city's future," Professor Chin says.
"And as academics, it is up to us to ensure that we take our work to the community to earn their support, transfer our knowledge to benefit the society, and explain what we are doing and the impact our work can have on people today and on future generations."
Professor Roland Chin
Chairman, Research Grants Council |