The Inter-Institutional Development Scheme (IIDS) aims to enhance academics’ research capability in the local self-financing degree-awarding institutions and keep them abreast of new developments and challenging research topics in relevant fields.

1. Applications should be submitted by a Principal Investigator (PI) from an institution or with Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) jointly from collaborating institutions to organize workshops or short courses, etc., for a duration ranging from several days to several weeks. The proposed activity should serve the purpose of enabling participants to conduct focused study and intensive scholarly exchange under the guidance of visiting scholars and experts. Participation must be open to other local self-financing degree-awarding institutions, and preferably to all institutions in Hong Kong.
2. The maximum project duration is one year.
3. Funding covers direct costs involved in organizing workshops or short courses and on-costs of 15% of the approved costs.
4. There is no funding threshold or ceiling for approved IIDS projects. The approved funding will be subject to the justification of the proposal.

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 in the capacity of PI / Co-PI. 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 PI in each exercise. There is no limit in the number of applications submitted in the capacity of Co-PI or 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, UGC-funded universities, or other local / overseas institutions or organizations.
4. All eligible academic staff are encouraged to apply.

The assessment criteria are as follows:

1. intellectual merit;
2. relevance to research / education programmes ongoing or under active development;
3. size of interested participants;
4. institutional support, etc.

Proposals will be evaluated 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)