Research Grants Council (RGC) Chairman Professor Roland Chin said that the vetting of
the first round of the Theme-based Research
Scheme
had been successfully completed. Six projects have been funded on the
basis of their academic excellence, and are relevant to the strategic
importance of the long-term development of Hong Kong.
Four of the six awarded projects revolve around the theme of
‘Promoting Good Health’. They include ‘The Liver Cancer Genome Project:
Translating Genetic Discoveries to Clinical Benefits’; ‘Massively
Parallel Sequencing of Plasma Nucleic Acids for the Molecular
Diagnostics of Cancers’; ‘Personalized Medicine for Cardiovascular
Diseases: From Genomic Testing and Biomarkers to Human Pluripotent Stem
Cell Platform’; and ‘Cell-based Heart Regeneration’. The other two
projects – ‘Challenges in Organic Photo-Voltaics and Light Emitting
Diodes – A Concerted Multi-Disciplinary and Multi-Institutional Effort’
and ‘Transforming Hong Kong’s Ocean Container Transport Logistics
Network’ – are on the respective theme of ‘Developing a Sustainable
Environment’ and ‘ Enhancing Hong Kong’s Strategic Position as a
Regional and International Business Centre’.
89 preliminary research proposals were submitted to the RGC, said Professor Chin.
After
screening by overseas experts, 22 proposals were shortlisted for
submission of full proposals. These proposals were first subjected to
peer review and then assessed by a panel of overseas experts, and 15
were invited for final interviews. ‘The entire selection process from
assessment of preliminary to full research proposals and the interviews
were conducted by qualified overseas academic experts. This ensured the
selection of high quality projects through a fair, impartial and
professional assessment.’
Final interviews were held over a two-day period by an assessment panel
comprising over 20 overseas academic experts on the three themes.
Interview for each project lasted for 45 minutes, including a 10-minute
presentation by the project team, a 30-minute question-and-answer
session and a 5-minute round-up. When all the interviews were
completed, the assessment panel voted on each project, and six projects
were granted research funds.