The RGC Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) (or RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS)) aims to provide sustained support and relief from teaching and administrative duties to exceptionally outstanding researchers at Associate Professor rank (or full Professor rank) at UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong, with a view to facilitating their full dedication to research and development and helping universities attract and retain research talent.
In each round of the yearly exercise, both RFS and SRFS will provide ten places encompassing all academic disciplines. Each awardee will receive support for a period of 60 months in the manner of relief from teaching and administrative duties, and research funding support covering salary costs for relief teachers and support for research project including staff, equipment, travel, subsistence and dissemination costs.
Each RFS awardee will be conferred the title "RGC Research Fellow" and the supporting university will receive a fellowship grant at around HK$5.2 million per award (a uniform rate is applied for both non-clinical and clinical academics) over a period of 60 months.
Each SRFS awardee will be conferred the title "RGC Senior Research Fellow" and the supporting university will receive a fellowship grant at around HK$7.8 million per award (a uniform rate is applied for both non-clinical and clinical academics) over a period of 60 months.
All eight UGC-funded universities are eligible to nominate up to six candidates (at Associate Professor rank) for RFS and six candidates (at full Professor rank) for SRFS. Each nomination should include the research proposal of the project to be undertaken by the nominated candidate during the fellowship period.
The candidate must:
While no restriction/ limit on age is imposed, the candidate’s remaining years of tenured/ substantiated service should be sufficient to complete a full course of the fellowship before attaining the supporting university’s official normal retirement age.
Subject to exceptional consideration on a case-by-case basis, the requirements above may be relaxed for Hong Kong talent working overseas so that they are incentivised to return to Hong Kong and take up the fellowship. In this connection, an RFS overseas candidate nominated by a UGC-funded university would be eligible for consideration if he/ she:
Candidates will be assessed based on the following criteria:
Nominees of RFS and SRFS of all academic disciplines are subject to assessment by either of the two selection panels: (i) Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies (H-Panel); and (ii) Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology (S-Panel). Shortlisted candidates for RFS/SRFS will be invited for interview by the selection panel concerned during May/June of the next year.
Nominees and supporting universities are advised to read the nomination details as set out in the operation guide, explanatory notes and call letter before completing and signing the nomination forms. Nomination forms must be submitted by universities. The nomination deadline for the RFS/SRFS (2022/23) is 30 November 2021 (Tuesday). Nominations must be submitted to the UGC Secretariat by 5:00 pm on that day.
Please click here for the call letter from the RGC Secretary to the Heads of UGC-funded universities inviting nominations.
To download the latest forms, please click here.