Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards (Hong Kong) 2024
Invitation for Applications
This is to invite submission of applications for the Healthy Longevity Catalyst Awards (Hong Kong) 2024 (HLCA (HK) 2024).
Background
The Healthy Longevity Global Competition (the Competition) is organised by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) of the United States. Launched by the NAM in 2019, the Competition is a series of inducement awards and prizes to catalyse breakthrough innovations to improve people’s physical, mental, and social health and well-being as they age. It consists of three progressive phases during which innovators have the opportunity to compete for increasingly larger awards at the Catalyst, Accelerator, and Grand Prize levels – the latter up to US$5 million. More information about the Competition is available on its website (https://healthylongevitychallenge.org/).
The Research Grants Council (RGC) has collaborated with the NAM at its Catalyst Phase since 2022. This year, the RGC will continue to operate the HLCA (HK) 2024 which is open for local researchers from all disciplines of all eight University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities.
Objectives
In line with the objectives of the Competition, HLCA (HK) 2024 will call for bold and innovative ideas from any discipline that have the potential to extend the human healthspan. Ideas could focus on early-, mid-, or late-life, as long as it ultimately promotes health as people age. Applicants could submit proposals in any topic areas, including but not limited to disease prevention, mobility, functionality and social connectedness.
Funding
The RGC will offer ten Catalyst Awards, each with US$50,000 at maximum (equivalent to around HK$389,000). Travel subsidies of HK$180,000 at maximum1 will also be given to each winning team to attend the Innovator Summit to be organised by the NAM in 2025 to discuss their work with fellow innovators, researchers, policymakers, and potential investors.
Application Procedures
Application should be made in the prescribed form (HLCA1) for HLCA (HK) 2024 and must be submitted through the applicant’s affiliated university. Relevant application form and guidance notes can be downloaded from the RGC website (https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/funding_opport/hlca/). The number of applications to be submitted by each university would be capped at 15. All applications must be submitted to the UGC Secretariat by 5:00 pm on 29 February 2024. Universities are required to provide two hard copies and one soft copy of each proposal. For the soft copy, please save all files in one CD / USB drive with file names and project reference number clearly marked on it. The selection criteria to be adopted by the RGC for evaluation of HLCA (HK) 2024 proposals are at Annex for reference.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit Supplementary Information for further consideration in May / June 2024.
Code of Conduct and Enquiries
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 the 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).
1 A travel subsidy of HK$30,000 per person for a maximum of six persons of each winning team will be provided.