CONTENTS
The Year at a Glance
Foreword from the Chairman
Research Grants Council Activities: 2002
The Research Funding Environment in Hong Kong
The Research Grants Council and its Organisation
How Council-Funded Projects are Monitored and Assessed
Acknowledgements
Appendices

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 Kong’s 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 institution’s research activities during an academic year.
A list of on-going research projects funded by sources other than the Council’s 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).

Overview
Annual Reports From Institutions on Research Activities
Funding for New Research Grant Projects
Funding for On-Going Research Grant Projects
Research Output in Hong Kong
Council Contacts with Other Funding Bodies