Institutional Development Scheme (IDS) Research Infrastructure Grant 2026/27 Exercise
  1. The quality of the proposals received in this round of exercise had declined, with no proposal being recommended for funding. While the topics addressed in the proposals were timely and important, and well aligned with the government and regional needs, key weaknesses were identified in the proposed feasibility and delivery plans, as well as insufficient clarity regarding long-term impact.
  1. Some proposals were broad in scope and vague in nature. Neither were the research objectives clearly defined nor were the academic value and potential contributions well articulated.  The Panel also pointed out that strategies for integrating institutional resources and translating research outputs into sustainable research outcomes were inadequately developed.
  1. During the interviews, some project teams were able to provide more detailed information on their proposed research work. However, the work packages presented appeared to be fragmented with limited integration or synergy, and created an impression of a collection of separate projects rather than a coherent programme with clear long-term impact on building or enhancing the institutions’ strategic areas.
  1. The funding requests of some proposals were not well justified with excessive budget amounts, especially for the supporting staff costs. The Panel expressed significant concerns regarding the project teams’ ability to sustain the staff costs upon the expiry of the project duration.
  1. Project teams should comprehensively elaborate not only on the intended activities and societal impacts, but also on the concrete plans and evidence-based approaches to sustainability and deliverable outcomes.