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HK$12 million
has been allocated for urgent academic research into SARS (Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome) as part of this years Competitive
Earmarked Research Grant (CERG) funding exercise.
Emergency
grants of HK$1 million each have been allocated to medical faculties
at The Chinese University of Hong Kong and The University of Hong
Kong to help strengthen their efforts to combat the SARS disease.
Prof
Kenneth Young with SARS Expert Group advisor Prof Rosie Young
announcing the HK$12 million funding |
2003-2004
CERG
FUNDING
|
Panel
|
Applications
received No.
|
Grant
Awarded HK$m
|
Engineering
|
698
(637)
|
162.0
(147.9)
|
Physical
Sciences
|
214
(221)
|
62.9
(61.6)
|
Biology
& Medicine
|
480(432)
|
162.0
(143.7)
|
Humanities,
Social Sciences & Business Studies
|
486
(408)
|
75.5
(74.8)
|
TOTAL
|
1,878
(1,698) |
462.4
(428.0) |
Figures
in brackets for CERG 2002-2003 |
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The
remaining HK$10 million was released in July to fund 16 urgent SARS-related
research projects at the UGC (University Grants Committee) funded
institutions.
The projects
are progressing and are expected to last a year. When completed,
the research can go a long way to help us better understand and further
contain the SARS disease, said RGC Chairman Prof Kenneth Young.
Announcing
the special funding, Prof Young said: The battle against the
disease is an area in which academic research should and can uniquely
make a contribution. I hope this special scheme will go some way to
encourage and support urgent research on this particular front.
Over the
years, said Prof Young, about HK$42 million had already been invested
in Hong Kong research related to the study of viruses and pathogeneses.
Later
he added: Its because of this capacity built up over the
years that we were able to respond to the SARS crisis so quickly.
Hong Kong
led the world in identifying the virus and showed itself to be a Division
1 player in the research, said Prof Young.
Altogether
there were 158 proposals seeking funds of about HK$106 million under
the special scheme.
An
expert group, under the RGCs Biology and Medicine Panel, was
set up to evaluate and select successful applications for the emergency
funding.
In the
2003-2004 CERG main exercise, the RGC allocated HK$462 million to
fund 798 research projects. Compared to the previous year, funding
went up 8% and the number of funded projects increased by 15%.
Altogether,
the RGC received a record high of 1,878 research proposals seeking
about HK$1,800 million. Prof Young said: As in previous years,
the funded proposals all measured up to a high international standard.
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