Areas of Excellence Scheme

(A) The Exercise

1. Number of applications received 38
2. Number of eligible full proposals 15
3. Number of proposals recommended for funding 4
(including one exploratory proposal)
4. Success rate (over the number of applications) 10.5%
5. Total approved budget of the funded projects $177.7 million1
6. Total funding amount from RGC
$157.9 million1&2

1 Inclusive of indirect costs / on-costs
2 Including $10 million for exploratory project.  The university matching for the exploratory project is subject to a revised one-year budget by the project team upon approval from the relevant Committee.



(B) Selection Panel’s Comments for Applicants’ Reference


  1. Quality of applications (i.e. strengths, weaknesses and gaps of proposals):

  • The proposals received in this round of exercise were consistently of exceptional quality, demonstrating significant potential to drive meaningful and transformative change. The Panel was particularly impressed by the significance of the topics addressed and the calibre of expertise brought to the project teams, especially including contributions from globally recognised leading scholars in their respective fields.

  • Some proposals did not provide a general overview to the problem or opportunity at the outset, with narratives transitioning quickly into technical details and jargon. Furthermore, some proposals would benefit from a more robust and centralised framework for component coordination.

  • The Panel commended the innovative, people-centered approaches adopted by the proposal received by the Humanities and Social Sciences Sub-group. The project team would be encouraged to enhance the rigor and clarity of the proposal by adopting realist, operationally defined framework in both the written submission and oral presentation.  Additionally, strengthening the governance structure and fostering team collaboration would help support more effective project implementation.

  1. Other comments (e.g. project teams’ performance during the interview):

  • All project teams performed commendably during the interviews, reflecting a high level of thorough preparation.

  • Project teams should be advised to maintain conciseness in presentations by focusing on highly targeted information. Similarly, responses during the Q&A session should remain succinct, focused and direct.  It is equally critical that the teams meticulously address the constructive feedback provided by the External Reviewers.

  • To demonstrate coordinated and shared leadership, project teams should ensure the active involvement of all members during the interview. Project Coordinators should be encouraged to maintain a central leadership presence while actively fostering a collaborative team dynamic.