Research Impact Fund
alert
Open for application now! Please refer to call circular.
IMPORTANT DATES
What Is It?

The Research Impact Fund (RIF) objectives are:

  1. to encourage local academics to consider and articulate the potential of research to deliver benefits to the wider community; and to encourage more impactful and translational research projects; and
  2. to encourage a greater volume of collaborative research beyond academia (e.g. with government departments, the business sector, the industry and research institutes).
What Makes It Special?

Under the RIF exercise, mandatory matching funds are required from UGC-funded universities/organisational partner(s) for approved projects on a 70% (RGC)/30% (university/organisational partner(s)) basis. Every successful application can receive a funding amount of up to HK$ 10 million from the RGC. The potential 30% matching could be from university, the industry, non-governmental organisations, stakeholders or private donation. The project duration must span three to five years.

Who Is Eligible?

Only academic staff members whose conditions of employment meet ALL the following requirements are eligible for application of RGC grants as Project Coordinator (PC):

  1. having a full-time1 appointment in the university proper2 of a UGC-funded university;
  2. having a Staff Grade of 'A' to 'I'3 as defined in the Common Data Collection Format (i.e. 'Professor' to 'Assistant Lecturer');
  3. being primarily engaged in and spending at least 80% of time in degree or higher degree work4 at the university proper; and
  4. salary being wholly funded5 by the university proper.

A visiting staff member can qualify if he/she possesses a full-time appointment in the university proper covering the entire project period. Staff members supported by research grants6 other than from the RGC are NOT eligible.

As a transitional measures, academic staff members engaged in non-degree programmes, which are still funded by the UGC, may also apply as the PC. Eligible staff in this category must be wholly funded by the General Funds of the universities concerned. This arrangement would continue until such time when the relevant programmes are no longer funded by the UGC. Exceptional cases (including circumstances not covered by the above rules) will be considered by the RGC on a case-by-case basis.

1
Part-time staff members and staff members holding honorary appointments are excluded.
2
Schools/arms of continuing education and professional training and other analogous outfits are excluded.
3
Polytechnic staff grades are excluded.
4
A Project Coordinator who is/will be seconded to work full-time or part-time at the two Innovation and Technology (I&T) clusters (Health@InnoHK and AIR@InnoHK) at the Hong Kong Science Park; or to conduct research in a university or a research institute / body / agency in the Mainland / overseas jurisdiction, is still considered eligible to apply for the RIF.
5
Staff members who are receiving income from paid appointments outside the university proper do not satisfy this requirement.
6
Normally awarded for specific purposes.
Assessment Criteria

The assessment criteria are as follows:

  1. academic merit; and
  2. potential research impact.
Application Procedures

Applications for the RIF must be submitted via the RGC Electronic System to the UGC Secretariat by 27 February 2023.

To view the call circular, please click here.

To download the application forms, please click here.

FAQ
IMPORTANT DATES