Overview
Although funding for research in Hong Kong comes from several sources,
the Research Grants Council, operating under the aegis of the University
Grants Committee, is recognised as being the main public funding
body that provides financial support for academic research in Hong
Kong.
In
the 2001-2002 academic year, total research expenditure from all
sources on research projects, contracts, staff and studentships
amounted to HK$4,846.6 million. This represented approximately 0.38%
of Hong Kongs Gross Domestic Product in 2001-2002 and compared
with the HK$4,989 million expended in 2000-2001 (about 0.39% of
the Gross Domestic Product).
During
2001-2002, a total of 3,895 new research grants and contracts worth
HK$1,242.2 million were obtained by the UGC-funded institutions
from all sources. This dropped slightly when compared with 4,174
new research grants and contracts worth HK$1,278.8 million for 2000-2001.
Funding for new research projects alone during 2001-2002 totalled
HK$1,059.3 million.
The
2001-2002 research grants brought the total number of research and
contract projects in Hong Kong to 13,391 with a total value of HK$6,335.6
million. This was an increase over 13,385 grants totalling HK$5,504.3
million at the end of 2000-2001.
Chart
2.1 shows the distribution of on-going funding for research
grants, plus contracts, by source of funding for each of the eight
UGC-funded institutions.
Annual Reports From
Institutions on Research Activities
The
UGC-funded institutions are required to submit reports on their
research activities and on the use of funding from their recurrent
grants and other sources for research to the Research Grants Council.
Each institution is required to submit three reports to the Council,
on an annual basis. These are:
|
A
descriptive overview of the institutions research activities
during an academic year. |
|
A
list of on-going research projects funded by sources other than
the Councils competitive bid funding. |
|
A
list of research publications / output by academic staff published
during an academic year. |
The
main points are summarised in the following sub-sections.
Funding
for New Research Grant Projects
Total
new direct funding for research grant projects from all sources
amounted to HK$1,059.3 million in 2001-2002, compared with HK$1,092.1
million in 2000-2001.
Chart
2.2 outlines the proportion of funding for new research
grant projects by source. Detailed figures appear in Appendix
A.
Funding
for On-Going Research Grant Projects
Total
funding for on-going research projects, including the newly funded
ones, amounted to HK$5,556.5 million in 2001-2002 compared with
HK$4,918.5 million in 2000-2001. Of this figure, more than 60% came
from the UGC or the Council.
Chart
2.3 outlines the proportion of funding for on-going
research grant projects by source, while more detailed figures are
given in Appendix
B.
Research
Output in Hong Kong
The
total output of refereed and non-refereed publications in 2001-2002
was 26,996 compared with 26,680 in 2000-2001. Of this figure, 13,783
were refereed compared with 14,468 in 2000-2001.
This
is summarised in Chart
2.4, with more detailed figures in Appendix
C.
Council
Contacts With Other Funding Bodies
The
Council maintains regular contact with other bodies that provide
funding for research. This good working relationship ensures that
applications for grants are cross-checked to avoid unjustified duplication.
The
main research organisations in Hong Kong with which the Council
maintains regular contacts are:
Croucher
Foundation
Hong
Kong Jockey Club
S K
Yee Medical Foundation
Quality
Education Fund
Innovation
and Technology Commission
Health
Services Research Committee, and Health Care Promotion Fund Committee
Environment
& Conservation Fund
Overseas
bodies and bodies in the Mainland concerned with funding of academic
research (such as the German Academic Exchange Service, the National
Natural Science Foundation of China and others).
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