The first round of Research Matching Grant Scheme (RMGS), introduced in 2019, was successfully completed in 2024. In the light of the fruitful outcome, the Government decided to launch a new round of RMGS in 2025 for a period of four years with a total commitment of $1.5 billion, in order to achieve the following objectives:

1. to incentivise the non-public sector to strengthen financial support for research and development (R&D);
2. to diversify research funding sources of the higher education sector; and
3. to encourage R&D collaboration between the higher education sector and industry as well as other sectors in the community.

The new round of RMGS will operate from 1 May 2025 until 30 April 2029 tentatively to fully allocate the $1.5-billion provision of research matching grants.

The new round of RMGS covers the eight UGC-funded universities (including their self-financing arms/ units) and the 13 local self-financing degree-awarding institutions. There is no restriction on academic disciplines, while the new round of RMGS only applies to research-related purposes.

Donations and matching grants under the new round of RMGS may be used for, but not limited to, the following research expenditure:

1. purchase of major research equipment;
2. purchase of research-related/ technology licence;
3. expenses for application for patent (research purpose);
4. staff costs of research personnel charged solely for the research project/ initiative/ activity under RMGS;
5. costs of setting up research facilities (including rental, operation and maintenance expenses, while government matching grants are not applicable to capital works of UGC-funded universities);
6. provision of support for researchers'/ students' research activities monitored by universities/ institutions; and
7. provision of research fellowship(s) or research award(s).

Donations and research grants/ research contracts from non-governmental/ non-public sectors secured by the universities/ institutions during the operation period of the new round of RMGS (i.e. from 1 May 2025 onwards) are eligible for matching. There should be no “double matching” or “double subsidies”. Projects having secured various public/ government funds from local/ non-local authorities (e.g. the Innovation and Technology Fund, research grants from the UGC and the RGC, etc.), and donations/ research grants/ research contracts already matched with public funds under other schemes (e.g. the Eighth Matching Grant Scheme, the first round of RMGS) are not eligible for matching grants under the new round of RMGS. Universities/ Institutions are obliged to declare that there is no double matching or double subsidisation by completing an undertaking proforma, which must be submitted together with the applications. The UGC Secretariat reserves the final right to determine whether a donation/ research grant/ research contract is eligible for matching.

The arrangements of application for the new round of RMGS are stipulated as follows:

1. applications are processed in cycles as set out in the table below:

   Year	Processing cycles
   2025	First cycle: 1 May – 31 October 2025
   	Second cycle (if applicable): 1 November – 31 December 2025
   2026	First cycle: 1 January – 30 April 2026+
   	Second cycle: 1 May – 31 October 2026
   	Third cycle (if applicable): 1 November – 31 December 2026
   2027	First cycle: 1 January – 30 April 2027+
   	Second cycle: 1 May – 31 October 2027
   	Third cycle (if applicable): 1 November – 31 December 2027
   2028 (-2029)	First cycle: 1 January – 30 April 2028+
   	Second cycle: 1 May – 31 October 2028
   	Third cycle (if applicable): 1 November – 31 December 2028 (And finally if applicable: 1 January – 30 April 2029)

   ⁺Also to cover the last two months of the previous year if applicable

2. applications and corresponding documents (please refer to the Operation Guide) within each cycle should be submitted both by post and via email to the UGC Secretariat by 5:00 p.m. on the 7th working day after the end of a processing cycle (e.g. the first processing cycle of 2025 should end on 31 October 2025, and the applications should be submitted both by post and via email by 5:00 p.m. on 11 November 2025). Late application will not be considered.
3. upon receipt of the applications, the UGC Secretariat will calculate and inform the universities/ institutions concerned of the allocations of matching grants based on the information submitted, normally in August (for the first processing cycle of years 2026-2028) and February (for the first and second processing cycles of year 2025, as well as the second and third processing cycles of years 2026-2028). Please refer to the Operation Guide for the matching formula and upper limits applicable to the new round of RMGS.

To view the Operation Guide for details of the new round of RMGS, please click here.

To download the application form for the new round of RMGS, please click here.