UGC's Press Announcement on Chairmanship of Research Grants Council (RGC)
Chairman of the University Grants Committee (UGC), Dr Edgar Cheng,welcomed the Government's announcement today (25 January 1999) that Prof Kenneth Young will take over from Prof Ping K Ko as Chairman, Research Grants Council (RGC) when Prof Ko's current term expires in June 1999.
Dr Cheng said, "Prof Ko has served with the RGC since the birth of the RGC in January 1991, starting first as a Council member and Chairman of the Engineering Panel and subsequently taking over from Professor Sir David Todd as Chairman of the RGC when Sir David retired in January 1994. Over the years, Prof Ko has provided significant contributions and leadership towards developing the RGC into a robust and highly respected research funding body in Hong Kong, and at the same time helped nurturing the growth of a research infrastructure and culture in the higher education institutions in Hong Kong".
Dr Cheng went on to say, "In 1992, Prof Ko pioneered a pilot scheme to establish cooperative research centres aimed at promoting technology transfer between the universities and industry. This was the forerunner of many other public funding schemes that support applied research work in Hong Kong in different ways. He has also added an international dimension to the RGC by encouraging the setting up of a number of joint research schemes with overseas funding research bodies, the latest one being with the National Natural Science Foundation of China".
In response to the announcement, Prof Ko said "I have enjoyed working with local and overseas colleagues in the past eight years during which higher education and research in Hong Kong have taken a bold and great step forward. It is about time that I go and concentrate on my personal goals in scientific research and development, and technology transfer from university to industry. I am very glad that Prof Kenneth Young has agreed to take over from me as Chairman of the RGC and I am sure that the RGC will grow from strength to strength under his leadership".
In welcoming Professor Young, Dr Cheng said, "Prof Kenneth Young is a physicist well known in the international academic community. He is currently Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Physics of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He is also a founding member/member of a number of highly prestigious organizations in science in Hong Kong and overseas".
In welcoming Professor Young, Dr Cheng noted that, "Prof Young was a member of the Education Commission, the RGC and the RGC Physical Sciences Panel, and is currently a member of the University Grants Committee, chairing the UGC's Quality Sub-Committee".
In response to the announcement, Prof Young said, "The world is changing rapidly and Hong Kong in particular is facing new challenges. Research will become increasingly important as we enter the next century, in order that we have robust academic institutions and in order that these institutions can contribute more to society in various way. I am sure that the Council will build upon the success that it has achieved under the leadership of Prof Ko, and will work with the institutions to further develop the research culture in Hong Kong. I hope to be able to make some contributions towards these further developments."
The Research Grants Council operates under the aegis of the University Grants Committee.