Research Grants Council Collaborative Research Fund 2025/26 Call Circular

Applications for Allocations from
Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) 2025/26 Exercise

The Research Grants Council (the RGC) is inviting submission of preliminary proposals of multi-investigator, multi-disciplinary projects under the CRF 2025/26 exercise with a view to encouraging more research groups to engage in creative and high-quality cross-disciplinary / cross-institutional projects.

There are three types of grants under the CRF, i.e. Collaborative Research Project Grant (CRPG), Collaborative Research Equipment Grant (CREG) and Young Collaborative Research Grant (YCRG). In making their proposals, applicants may wish to note the objectives and related arrangements of the grants as set out in the following.


Project Duration and Budget

Project teams should pursue interdisciplinary, collaborative goals which would not be possible by working on the project’s individual components. A CRF project should normally last for no more than three years (except for applications of which the research objective(s) can only be achieved in a time span of four to five years). Applicants are advised to take this into account to consider the optimal project team size when submitting their applications.

The net amount of funding requested from the RGC (excluding matching funding from university and funds obtained from other sources) should range from $2 million to $10 million per project under CRPG and CREG. For YCRG, the net amount of funding requested from the RGC (excluding matching funding from university and funds obtained from other sources) should range from $2 million to $5 million per project.


Types of Grants under CRF 2025/26 and Objectives

Collaborative Research Project Grant

The main objective of CRPG is to encourage research groups in UGC-funded universities to engage in collaborative research across disciplines and across universities with a view to enhancing the research output of universities in terms of the level of attainment, quantity, dimensions and/or impact. It provides funding for staff, equipment and general expenses related to the supported projects. In assessing proposals, the RGC puts emphasis on genuine collaboration and capacity building as well as the potential of a proposal to develop into an area of research strength. On approval, the project teams are expected to pursue genuine collaborative research and should not break the award down into individual components.

The selection criteria to be adopted by the RGC for evaluation of CRPG proposals are at Annex A.

Collaborative Research Equipment Grant

The main objectives of CREG are to:

  1. enable the acquisition of major research facilities or equipment, including major library acquisitions for research, which cannot otherwise be afforded by one university and which can be used for collaborative research;
  2. assist universities in “leveraging” support from equipment suppliers with a view to stretching the value of the RGC’s funds further than could normally be possible by making small allocations in connection with individual projects; and
  3. provide funding for group user fee (for users from the RGC funded collaborative research projects) to access major user facilities (e.g. to pay for the access/use of some existing core facilities/equipment instead of procuring new ones)1.

1 The requirement of 50% matching funding from participating universities still applies.

The selection criteria to be adopted by the RGC for evaluation of CREG proposals are at Annex B.

Young Collaborative Research Grant

The YCRG was first established on pilot basis in 2022/23 as a debut effort to specifically support young researchers in undertaking collaborative research projects. With the support of the Grant, it is expected that early-stage researchers will gain first-hand experience in leading and managing collaborative research, so as to be better prepared in competing for larger collaborative research funding in their next stage of career.

Starting from the 2025/26 exercise, YCRG will be regularised after its three-year pilot run. Furthermore, the institutional quota will henceforth be removed, and as enhancement to promote research enterprise amongst young academics, starting from CRF 2025/26, all research applications eligible for YCRG funding will first be accorded an opportunity of assessment under the normal-track CRF, and then an additional opportunity for selection under the Y track.

“Renewal” / “Continuation” Application under CRPG and YCRG

Project Coordinator (PC) of a group research project may apply for “renewal” / “continuation” funding for a current project. In the CRF 2025/26 exercise, applications for “renewal” / “continuation” funding are invited from projects that were funded in 2021/22 and 2022/232. To qualify for “renewal” funding (application under CRPG) or “continuation” funding (application under YCRG), a “renewal” / “continuation” proposal should be an extension of the current project led by the same PC and should not constitute any major overlap with research work supported by other UGC / RGC or government grants. The research teams are required to demonstrate that remarkable results have been achieved in their current research and there is a good argument and prospect for further research work to continue in the relevant area. The proposal should also have its own goal(s) and new or extended research objective(s).

All funded “renewal” / “continuation” proposals are subject to the same monitoring and accounting requirements as applicable to other newly funded projects under the scheme. A PC should only submit one single proposal in the 2025/26 exercise, irrespective if it is a new or “renewal” / “continuation” application.

2 For any “renewal” / “continuation” proposal to be funded in the 2025/26 exercise, the “renewal” / “continuation” project must start upon the completion of the current one before the end of the academic year 2025/26 (i.e. 30 June 2026). Prior approval of the RGC for variation to the stipulated schedule must be sought in case a research team has difficulty in adhering to the schedule, though approval may only be given in very exceptional circumstances. PCs are reminded to note and take into account the above-mentioned timing requirement when considering submitting “renewal” / “continuation” application.


Other Matters

Submission of Information on Re-submission in the Preliminary Proposal Stage

To facilitate the assessment of re-submitted applications during the preliminary proposal stage, applicants are required to include information of all their previous submissions and the revisions/improvement made to each of the previous submissions, which were required in the full proposal stage previously. Applicants should make sure that sufficient revisions and improvement based on the comments provided by the assessment panels have been made in the re-submitted applications.

No External Links to be Embedded in the Application

Applicants are reminded not to include links to external websites in their applications which may contain extra information about their proposals. Such requirements have been stated in “Submission Processes of SECTION 1 – OVERVIEW” of the “Overview and Guidance Notes (CRF) – Preliminary Proposals”.

Format and Font

In order to ensure consistency and fairness, applicants are reminded to complete the applications and all pdf documents in the following standard RGC format:

  1. Font: Times New Roman
  2. Font Size: 12 point
  3. Margin: 2.5 cm all round
  4. Spacing: Single-line spacing
  5. PDF version: compatible with Adobe Acrobat Reader 5

Failure to comply with the format requirements may result in the removal of your application from processing.


Disbursement Arrangement

Universities are required to confirm that satisfactory arrangements will be worked out among the universities concerned for the ownership and management of the equipment/facilities, if funded, and for meeting the recurrent costs. The CRF will not cover any recurrent expenditure (including maintenance) that may have to be borne by the university in consequence.

The funding approved under the CRF will be released to the coordinating universities in accordance with the RGC’s guidelines, and subject to satisfactory progress of previous work reported in the mid-term progress report or the related annual progress report depending on project duration.


Submission of Preliminary Proposal

Preliminary proposals for CRPG, CREG and YCRG should be submitted through the RGC Electronic System to the UGC Secretariat by 24 February 2025. The application forms in pdf format are also available on the RGC website (https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/funding_opport/crf/how_to_apply.html) for downloading. In addition to electronic submission, universities are required to provide one hard copy and one soft copy3 (allowing search function) of the proposals. The hard copy and soft copy of the proposal must be submitted to the UGC Secretariat through the Research Offices of respective universities by 5:00 pm (HKT) on 28 February 2025.

For “renewal” / “continuation” applications, an up-to-date progress report on the relevant current research project should be submitted together with the application form.

General information and guidelines for preparing and submitting preliminary proposals are set out in the “Overview and Guidance Notes (CRF) – Preliminary Proposals” which is downloadable from the RGC website. Applicants are reminded to adhere to the submission requirements set out in the guidance notes. Failure to comply with the requirements may result in the removal of applications from processing.

3 For the soft copy, please save all files in one CD or USB flash drive, with the file names follow that of the project reference number.


Code of Conduct

The RGC is fully committed to the principle of honesty, integrity and fair play in the conduct of its business. All applicants should comply with RGC Code of Conduct, which is available on the RGC website (https://www.ugc.edu.hk/doc/eng/rgc/guidelines/code/code_of_conduct.pdf).

 

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Annex A

Selection Criteria for Collaborative Research Project Grant Proposals and Young Collaborative Research Grant Proposals

The RGC takes into account the following factors in assessing the fundability of a proposal:

  1. the academic merits;
  2. the long-term goal of the proposal and its potential to develop into an area of research strength;
  3. the opportunities for effective synergism among the participating researchers, research groups and universities/institutions; and
  4. the viability of the proposal, particularly in terms of its project management. The project team’s ability to put in place an effective governance structure to monitor collaborating work and to ensure prudent deployment of resources would be important considerations.

 

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Annex B

Selection Criteria for Collaborative Research Equipment Grant Proposals

The RGC takes into account the following factors in assessing the fundability of a proposal:

  1. the merit of the proposal, its contribution to academic/professional development and potential for application, and benefit to tertiary institutions in particular and Hong Kong in general;
  2. the scope for collaborative research/joint use, and the degree of such usage;
  3. feasibility in implementation;
  4. any university’s support, including that of the sponsoring/collaborating universities/institutions;
  5. the prospect of external funding;
  6. maximum value for money; and
  7. the availability of similar facilities/library acquisitions elsewhere in Hong Kong.

 

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