Objectives

The JRFS aims at providing promising local and non-local postdoctoral researchers at UGC-funded universities with support to advance their research career at a pivotal time.  A total of 60 awardees will be selected from two streams: (i) Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies and (ii) Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology, in each annual selection exercise to conduct postdoctoral research on a full-time basis at a UGC-funded university.

A JRFS fellowship award will span for two years (and may extend up to three years as needed).  It seeks to attract promising postdoctoral researchers from Hong Kong and worldwide so as to incentivise these young research talents to build up a career in the field of research and development (R&D) in Hong Kong, as well as to support their transition, as applicable, in taking up Assistant Professor (Asst P) or Research Assistant Professor (RAP) positions at UGC-funded universities during the fellowship period.

Nomination

All eight UGC-funded universities are eligible to make nominations for the fellowship to support young research talents to conduct postdoctoral research on a full-time basis. Each university may nominate up to 15 candidates (JRFS nominees¹). The JRFS nominee must (i) obtain a legal right to work and reside in Hong Kong during the fellowship period; (ii) have obtained/ been conferred a PhD degree or an equivalent qualification on or after 1 January 2022 (i.e. not more than three years before 2025), or will complete the requirement of a PhD degree or an equivalent qualification by 31 August 2026; and (iii) be supported by a UGC-funded university at which he/ she wishes to hold the fellowship.

Fellowship Award

For each JRFS awardee who is at full-time appointment as Postdoctoral Fellow (Pdf), the supporting university will receive an annual stipend to cover the awardee’s basic salary as well as a conference and research-related travel allowance throughout the 24-month fellowship period (or up to 36 months, if extension is granted). The current level of annual stipend² is around HK$425,000 (inclusive of the travel allowance at around HK$13,500). Universities are welcome to supplement the fellowship with top-up salary or other fringe benefits on par with ordinary employment of a PdF, on top of the stipend to attract outstanding candidates. To effectively enhance JRFS awardees’ research skills, they are required to complete no less than three months of mentored training as a full-time PdF at the supporting university.

Where applicable, for a JRFS awardee who has successfully completed postdoctoral stage and subsequently advances to become a junior research academic, i.e. Asst P (tenure-track or non-tenure-track) or RAP at a UGC-funded university during the fellowship period, instead of annual stipend, research support funding will be disbursed to the supporting university until completion of the 24-month fellowship period.  This funding is at HK$140,000 per annum³ and is to provide research development support and starter package to facilitate transition of the JRFS awardee after he/ she secures faculty appointment.  The research support funding can be used to cover research-related expenses in the first year of appointment as Asst P or RAP, or within the remainder period of the 24-month JRFS fellowship, whichever end-date is the later.  Such research-related expenses may include conference and related travel⁴, research publication, academic subscription, field work, patent application, etc.

Nomination Submission

Nominations should be submitted via email to JRFS@ugc.edu.hk, with one set of original hard copy and one set of soft copy (saved in one USB memory stick) delivered to -

Assistant Secretary-General (Research) Special Duties 1
University Grants Committee Secretariat
7/F Shui On Centre, 6-8 Harbour Road
Wanchai, Hong Kong, China

Nominees and supporting universities are advised to read the nomination details as set out in the operation guide and the guidance notes therein carefully before completing the nomination forms. For details of JRFS, please refer to https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/funding_opport/jrfs/. Supporting universities should conduct internal assessment, including interviews, of the nominees first. Nominations should reach the UGC Secretariat by 5:00 p.m. on 31 October 2025 (Friday). Late nomination will not be processed.

Enquiries

For enquiries about the nomination procedures or other aspects of the JRFS, please feel free to contact the UGC Secretariat via email: JRFS@ugc.edu.hk.

¹   A candidate with more than one nomination will not be considered or processed by the UGC Secretariat. Universities should also note that the UGC Secretariat will not consider candidates applying for the “Jockey Club STEM Early Career Research Fellowship for Translation and Application” for the JRFS fellowship in the same year. In the same vein, awardees under the former RGC Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme (PDFS) in the past exercise(s), and JRFS nominees of the 2025/26 cohort who have accepted but have not yet commenced the fellowship, are not eligible for being nominated for JRFS in this (2026/27) exercise.
²   The actual disbursement amount of the first annual stipend will be set out in the award/ result notification document. For the second annual stipend, it will be adjusted with reference to the Composite Consumer Price Index (CCPI) and related factors.
³   The funding amount will be calculated pro-rata by month as applicable for the fellowship year of advancement. Research support funding will only be provided for all full calendar months after advancement. Adjustment to the annual rate will be subject to periodic review and agreement by the RGC.
⁴   “Advanced” JRFS awardees appointed as junior research academics are expected to perform function(s)/ role(s) relevant to their research work or academic/ professional position at the conference/ during the travel.