Sixteen HKU projects receive funding under NSFC/RGC Joint and Collaborative Research Schemes. Specifically, three project was funded by the NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS).
Sixteen research projects by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have secured funding under the National Natural Science Foundation for China and the Research Grants Council (NSFC/RGC) 2025/26 Exercise. Specifically, thirteen projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme (JRS), and three projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS), totalling over HK$26.5 million. HKU ranks first among all UGC-funded universities in both the number of funded projects and total funding received.
Professor Stephanie Ma, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (Interim), HKU, said "I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Research Grants Council for their generous funding and unwavering support of HKU's research initiatives. This significant backing not only enhances our research capabilities but also serves as a profound source of motivation for our dedicated research teams. It fosters increased cross-disciplinary and cross-regional collaboration and innovation between researchers in Mainland China and Hong Kong; and HKU remains committed to advancing the translation and practical application of impactful research outcomes, driven by this valuable support."
HKU projects funded under NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme:
Life Science
Host Ecology and Genetic Factors of Tick-borne Virus Emergence
Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Tommy Lam Tsan-yuk, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine
Medicine
Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Chun-Hung Chu, Kingboard Professor in Advanced Dentistry and Chair Professor of Family Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry
New Materials Science
Portable Organic-based Short-Wavelength Infra-Red Detector Arrays for Deep Tissue Biomedical Imaging
Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Wallace Chik Ho Choy, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
HKU projects funded under NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme:
Information Technology
Algorithm-Hardware Co-design for Efficient Autoregressive Visual Generation
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Xihui Liu, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Heterogeneous photonic integrated circuits for high-precision optical ranging and sensing
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Chao Xiang, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Life Science
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jin Wu, Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Rio Ryohichi Sugimura, Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine
Medicine
Compare and evaluate anti-tumor responses of IL-10 producing fourth generation CD19 chimeric antigen receptors T cells (CAR-T) with the commercially available products
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Kwong Yok-lam, Chair Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine
Management Science
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Wei Pan, Head, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Marine and Environmental Science
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Yu Deng, Assistant Professor, Applied Oral Sciences & Community Dental Care, Faculty of Dentistry
New Materials Science
Research and development of key materials and systems for aqueous zinc-organic flow batteries
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Chunyi Zhi, Chair Professor of Energy Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Broadband Impedance Matching Inspired by Dolphin Biosonar
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Nicholas Xuanlai Fang, Chair of Photonics Innovation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Foundation Atomic Models for Structural Alloy Development
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor David Srolovitz, Dean of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Chair of Materials Theory, Faculty of Engineering
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Han Wang, Associate Head, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Developing Copper Catalytic Materials for Asymmetric Radical Couplings
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jian He, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Others
Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jenny Hiu Ching LEE, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science
The JRS is designed to foster collaboration between researchers and research teams in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland, leveraging the unique strengths of both regions. In contrast, the CRS focuses on promoting larger-scale, interdisciplinary collaborative research involving universities across Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, with the goal of enhancing research output and impact for both areas.
Please visit the UGC website for the full list of funded projects for 2025/26 under the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme, and the Collaborative Research Scheme.
