Project Reference No.: UGC/IDS13/16
Project Title: Research Centre for International Business and Trade (Chu Hai)

Abstract
Equipped with more than 67 years of experience in providing quality higher education in Hong Kong, Chu Hai College of Higher Education (the College) has been under significant transformation in order to better serve the need of the community with an increasingly knowledge based economy.

The College is now preparing to apply for private university status with the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation and Vocational Qualifications. This proposed project to develop research infrastructure and capacity enhancing programmes could greatly help the College to meet one of the five requirements of the Council for upgrading our status.

The proposed research program consists of establishing a "Research Center for International Business and Trade, (hereafter the Center)" within the Faculty of Business of Chu Hai College of Higher Education. This Center would be conducive to realize the long-term mission and vision of the College to become an influential institution in certain targeted fields of strategic research development. The Center will promote a research culture and engage in projects relating to various fields of international trade and business independently or in collaboration with researchers and academic scholars overseas.

In particular, there will be three broad research themes of an international scope for the proposed program covering major disciplines in business, including accounting and banking, business administration (marketing and management), and finance. The Faculty of Business of the College will oversee and ensure the successful implementation of the proposed research projects. The infrastructure for boosting research will be provided by recruiting an administrative and technical supporting team to assist faculty members to undertake their studies. The supporting team will design and organize a series of activities to facilitate sharing and exchange research findings among our faculty members and the research community.

Thus, this project can help connect our faculty members with the leading research experts in the fields of international business and trade, enhance our research capacity, foster a research culture, and promote research activities in the various departments in the Faculty of Business of the College.

 

Project Reference No.: UGC/IDS14/16
Project Title: Establishment of a Deep Learning Research & Application Centre (HSMC)

Abstract
There has been a resurgence of research into Artificial Intelligence and its applications, especially Machine Learning in the context of Big Data and Cloud Computing. Over the past few years, Google and many major internet companies have invested significantly in Machine Learning technology, in particular, so-called "Deep Learning" using very-large-scale multi-layer neural networks, in order to enhance their services with, for example, better image searching and machine translation capabilities. Deep Learning has already demonstrated great success in applications across many domains such as object detection, image classification, speech recognition, natural language and text processing, medical diagnosis and drug discovery. We envision that Deep Learning, in the context of Big Data using sophisticated methods which require the resources of Cloud Computing, will have great potential in many other areas of research and application, which require classifying, clustering and predicting data of various types (such as text, number, image, video, audio, time series and DNA).

This proposal aims for the establishment of a Deep Learning Research & Applications Centre ("the Centre"), which will meaningfully support research across all five schools (and associated benefiting departments) of the Hang Seng Management College. The Centre will provide a Cloud Computing environment for Deep Learning, as well as being a hub for promoting and applying Deep Learning to projects of various domains. The Cloud Computing environment will also escalate the research performance of the College by fulfilling the processing needs of all computing intensive projects.

Research projects (some of which might be in collaboration with ASTRI or other research organizations) with innovative applications and potential will be identified to make good use of the Centre's resources. The deliverables include the training and promotion of Deep Learning systems in our College, as well as academic publications, conference talks and other forms of knowledge exchange (e.g. workshops, tutorials, seminars and conference).

 

Project Reference No.: UGC/IDS15/16
Project Title: Further Enhancement of Interdisciplinary Research at Hong Kong Shue Yan University through the Establishment of the Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Evidence-Based Practice (Shue Yan)

Abstract
Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) is in a process of transition from teaching-led and research-informed to teaching-led and research-active. The University aspires to enrich its research culture and further translate findings and knowledge into the research and teaching of vocationally oriented academic programmes. With the support of the previous Institutional Development Scheme project, a more active research culture has been shaped up within HKSYU. The present project aims to further enrich the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary research within HKSYU.

In the process of establishing a research niche at HKSYU, evidenced-based practice has presented itself as a promising candidate. Evidence-based practice is a contemporary practice approach adopted in a number of industries around which the University has built its vocationally-oriented academic programmes. It is a state-of-the-art approach currently adopted in many disciplines and industries, including business management, counselling, education, psychology, public health and social work. The present project is to set up The Centre of Interdisciplinary Research in Evidence-Based Practice at HKSYU. It is expected that the establishment of the Centre will reinforce the research and teaching of the University in the following ways:
1. To further enrich the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary research within HKSYU
2. To enhance training in evidence-based practice in our vocationally-oriented academic programmes
3. To encourage and equip academic staff with knowledge and skills in developing interdisciplinary research projects and proposals in evidence-based research that can attract external grants
4. To develop HKSYU as an advocate of evidence-based practice in multiple disciplines, with such practice supported by research

 

Project Reference No.: UGC/IDS16/16
Project Title: Third Phase of Institutional Research Capacity Development: Strategic Research Development in Three Focused Areas (OUHK)

Abstract
The proposed series of programmes aims to develop the research capacity of the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) in three strategic areas established or emerging in the University - Chinese culture in the global context, testing and certification, and nursing. These programmes propose dynamic strategies catering for the specific contexts, needs and objectives of each area in the OUHK. The key points in the plans for developing the three research areas are summarized below.

Chinese Culture in the Global Context
In the area of Chinese culture in the global context, a research programme is proposed, which aims to enhance the research capability of the OUHK academics teaching relevant subjects and conducting research in the disciplines of Chinese language, literature, history, philosophy, communication, film and art. The proposed programme includes the organisation of (1) research seminars to address how Chinese culture has been received worldwide and has had an impact in the world; (2) a conference/workshop to investigate how Chinese culture is taught and studied in different parts of the world; and (3) fieldwork to collect data relevant to the research agendas and directions in this area. This will facilitate the study of the increasingly important role that Chinese culture plays in global affairs, and will serve the functions of being a research instrument that informs teaching in the related areas and also as a platform for establishing international connections with major centres of Chinese studies around the world.

Quality Assurance System and Infrastructure Development in Testing and Certification
The second area, testing and certification (T&C), is one of the industries strategically promoted by the Hong Kong Government. The programme for this area aims to develop a quality assurance system for scientific research and the essential infrastructure for enhancing the quality of T&C research in the University. It proposes to (1) develop an instrumental infrastructure for calibration, conformity and precision measurement particularly relevant to T&C and other scientific research activities; (2) strengthen the capacity of the University's T&C research laboratory for compliance with the requirements of local and international standards; (3) establish a collaborative platform between the OUHK and the T&C industry for research and development in T&C through research activities, including academic conferences and research seminars/symposia; and (4) implement appropriate quality assurance measures for enhancing the capability, attractiveness and sustainability of T&C research in the University.

Technological Innovations in Nursing Education and Chinese Medicinal Nursing Practice
For the third area of nursing, a programme has been devised to strengthen the research capacity of the OUHK in technological innovations in nursing education and Chinese medicinal nursing practice. It includes (1) the organisation of a workshop and a research mentorship scheme; (2) the development of a database on research instruments and methodology; and (3) support for software tools. The programme will prepare and guide relevant academics to conduct quality research in nursing, help them to disseminate their research work, identify research opportunities in this area, and establish research networks with international counterparts.

By capitalising on the strengths of relevant units, the proposed series of programmes will build up the research capacity of the University in these three designated areas that have great potential for further development. It will also advance the educational delivery of the University in the long run.

 

Project Reference No.: UGC/IDS25/16
Project Title: Research on Sustainable Living: Phase Two of the Capacity Building Plan (THEi)

Abstract
The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi) is committed to serving local industry by offering degree-level quality vocational and professional education, and engaging in applied research. Building on the research capacity development plan that commenced in 2016 on the strategic theme of "Sustainable Living", this proposal puts forth the second phase of this development plan. It also consists of two arms: (1) a general arm that focuses on institute-wide research capacity development; and (2) a discipline-focused arm to build our ability to engage in creative design research that will contribute to a sustainable living environment.

The general capacity development plan focuses on boosting academic staff's ability to develop quality research proposals; fostering a culture of peer review; and facilitating research dissemination to enhance teaching and collaboration. Supporting student engagement in research, and improving existing research facilities are also our priorities for development. Hence, we propose the establishment of a Research Support Centre (RSC) to conduct training workshops and organise institute-wide research symposiums; and to provide consultation and English editorial services. The RSC will also supply researchers with space and tools to work on their projects, and to gather for meetings and networking. In addition, a peer review scheme will be set up to encourage academics to invite peers and overseas experts to review their research proposals. And to meet the increased need for literature resources, the existing e-journal collection will be expanded.

In this second phase of discipline-focused research capacity-building within THEi, a Centre for Sustainable Design and Environment (CSDE) will be established under the Faculty of Design and Environment (FDE). The CSDE will focus on the research of sustainable innovation and living in the area of design and environment. It will be managed by a team of design and environment academics and research support staff from the FDE. Two research laboratories will be established under the CSDE, namely, the Sustainable Innovation & Development Lab (SIDL) and the Sustainable Living & Environment Lab (SLEL). The SIDL will focus on sustainable innovation and product sustainability, and the SLEL on sustainable urban greening, landscape and neighborhood. A Design and Environment Education Unit (DEEU) will also be set up for formal knowledge exchange and engagement between academic institutes, commercial firms, the general public and government officials. It also serves as a platform to showcase our prototypes of new designs and research findings. Over the next three years of development, the CSDE's main scope of work includes: 1) developing applied research on design; 2) developing scientific and community research on urban greening; 3) knowledge transfer and exchange; and 4) training and education. Combining the strength of the research team and state-of-the-art equipment, the proposed CSDE will enhance the capacity and resources to deal with problems in sustainable fashion and product design and issues in urban greening and sustainable community. In the long run, the CSDE aims to 1) develop sustainable design approaches and strategies that help to promote a sustainable lifestyle for the general public in Hong Kong; and 2) improve public awareness of urban greening and build a sustainable community and neighborhood.

 

Project Reference No.: UGC/IDS31/16
Project Title: The Development of Research Capacity of Gratia Christian College (Phase 1) (GCC)

Abstract
This proposed project aims to implement a plan to develop and strengthen the research capacity of academic staff and students at Gratia Christian College. It consists of the establishment of the Research Office.

The proposed Research Office (RO) aims to provide support to academic staff and students in their research, to uphold the research standards, and to oversee all the research activities conducted in the College. To this end, the RO will publish a research handbook to offer research related information and guidelines for academic staff and students in the College. To build up the research capacity of academic staff and students and cultivate the research atmosphere in the College, the RO will:

• organize at least three research workshops and seminars per year in collaboration with the four Schools of the College;
• provide research and statistical support to academic staff and students to ensure the quality of the research publications;
• encourage and offer research support to senior students to complete their research projects and develop students' research skills and competence; and
• develop research resources at the library.