The Faculty Development Scheme (FDS) aims to develop the research capability of individual academic staff in the local self-financing degree-awarding institutions so that they can transfer their research experiences and new knowledge into teaching and learning.

1. Application should be submitted on an individual basis. Subject to institutional approval, the funding support should be used to conduct individual research project that informs teaching and learning or discover new knowledge.
2. The maximum project duration is three years.
3. Funding covers direct costs involved in conducting the research project and on-costs of 15% of the approved project costs.
4. The funding threshold is HK$150,000 (inclusive of 15% on-costs) for projects in the fields of Biology & Medicine, Engineering and Physical Sciences, and HK$100,000 (inclusive of 15% on-costs) for projects in the fields of Business Studies and Humanities & Social Sciences.

1. A full-time academic staff who is engaged by one of the local self-financing degree-awarding institutions with at least a one-year renewable contract with the institution at the time of funding award being made and spending at least 80% of time in locally-accredited local degree or higher degree work¹ in the institution is eligible to submit application. Institutions are responsible for interpreting and confirming whether an applicant has fulfilled the eligibility requirements announced in the Call for Proposals.
2. Each eligible applicant may submit one application in the capacity of Principal Investigator (PI) in each exercise. There is no limit in the number of applications submitted in the capacity of Co-Investigator (Co-I).
3. There is no eligibility requirement for Co-Is. They can be any personnel working in the same or different local self-financing degree-awarding institutions, the UGC-funded universities, or other local / overseas institutions or organizations.
4. All eligible academic staff, including junior academics, are encouraged to apply.

Proposals will be primarily evaluated in terms of academic quality by the Assessment Panel as well as local / overseas external reviewers.

Applications should be made in the prescribed application form and submitted through the applicant’s affiliated institution. All applications should be submitted to the UGC Secretariat by 5:00 pm on 3 March 2025 (Monday).

To view the call circular, please click here.
To view the operation framework, please click here.
To download the application form, please click here.

Workshop on Application for Competitive Research Funding Schemes for the Local Self-financing Degree Sector (7 November 2023)