(A) The Exercise

1.	Number of applications received	65
2.	Number of full proposals received	30
3.	Number of proposals recommended for funding:	7
4.	Success rate (over the number of applications):	10.8%
5.	Total approved budget of the funded projects	$377.851 million1
6.	Total funding amount from RGC	$330 million1

 ¹ Inclusive of indirect costs / on-costs
 
(B) Selection Panel's Comments for Applicants' Reference

1. Quality of applications (i.e. strengths, weaknesses and gaps of proposals):

• The applications in this round were of very high quality, making the selection process extremely competitive. The proposals submitted under the four different themes had covered a diverse range of subject matters, providing a clear indication of the breadth of talents within Hong Kong universities. Some of the proposals submitted under the Understanding Diseases theme had the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for citizens with the involvement of clinical and industrial partners, and some were of great local relevance, aiming to tackle challenging problems in the healthcare industry using state-of-the-art technology. While the objectives and scope of some proposals were commendable, the Panel commented that it would be preferable for them to be scaled down to become more focused so as to address issues of data availability and means of cooperation with industrial stakeholders.
• In terms of research team composition, the Panel was encouraged to note that many teams had Principal Investigators (PIs) / Co-Investigators (Co-Is) who were world leaders in their respective fields. It was particularly encouraging that several teams were ably led by energetic female scientists as Project Coordinators.
• The Panel also praised the research teams for an excellent job in presenting their projects during the selection interviews. They were highly engaged and had ably exchanged views on both strategical and technical aspects of the proposals with the Panel.

2. Other comments:

• Nil.