The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was awarded HK$82 million from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC)’s Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) 2021/22, ranking first among Hong Kong’s universities. In addition, CUHK researchers secured over HK$32 million in funding under various RGC schemes, in support of more collaborative research, and translating that into benefits to the community.

The largest share of funding among local institutions

The CRF 2021/22 funded 48 projects with a total of HK$285 million among the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities, aiming to encourage more research groups to engage in creative, high-quality cross-disciplinary projects. CUHK obtained the largest share of funding, securing HK$82 million across 11 projects in seven areas: cell imaging, autism, neuromuscular junction degeneration, Alzheimer’s disease, reducing miscarriages, sleep disorders, and nanomaterial and nanodevice.

In addition, four projects from CUHK were selected in the second round of the RGC’s One-Off Coronavirus and Novel Infectious Diseases Research Exercise. Researchers’ projects in the field of engineering and medicine will contribute to the battle against COVID-19. The projects include “High-precision and Privacy-preserving Indoor Social Contact Tracking Technologies for Infectious Disease Transmission Modeling and Control”, led by Professor Guoliang XING, Department of Information Engineering; and “Neuropsychiatric ‘Long-COVID’ in Adult Patients”, led by Dr Steven Wai Ho CHAU, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine.

For more details about the CRF funded projects, please visit: https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/Appendix-CRF-funding-results_E.pdf.

Awards from other funding schemes

In addition to the CRF, CUHK researchers have also received total funding of HK$32 million under various RGC schemes, which encourage local institutions to engage in more influential and translational projects while promoting collaboration between local, mainland and overseas researchers. They include projects that cover microrobotics, medicine, life sciences, physics, marine and environmental science, new materials science, sports science and more:

Research Impact Fund 2021/22

Three research projects were awarded over HK$21 million, including “Physical Activity Routines, Education, Assessment, Literacy, and Information Technology Application in Young Children (PA REALITY): A social cognitive theory-based movement education programme for preschool students”, led by Professor Amy HA Sau Ching, Department of Sports Science and Physical Education; and “Developing Probiotics into High-efficacy and Safe Prophylactics and Adjuvant Therapies for Colorectal Cancer”, led by Professor Jun YU, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine.

EU-HK Research and Innovation Cooperation Co-funding Mechanism by RGC 2020/21

Professor Li ZHANG, Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, has received over HK$1.8 million to support his project “Multifunctional Hydrogel-based Magnetic Heteroswarm for Liver Chemoembolisation”.

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)/RGC Joint Research Scheme 2021/22

Six research projects across the fields of life sciences, medicine, marine and environmental science, and new materials science were funded to the tune of over HK$7 million. They include “Invasive Species in Greater Bay Area: Population Genomics of a Freshwater Snail (Biomphalaria Straminea) and Risk Assessment of Imported Schistosomiasis Transmission”, led by Professor Jerome HUI, School of Life Sciences; and “Differential Roles of CGRP in Osteoarthritis Pain and Pathology”, led by Professor Ling QIN, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology.

ANR/RGC Joint Research Scheme 2021/22

Professor Jianfang WANG, Department of Physics, has received over HK$2.5 million to support his project “Electrically-Excited Chiral Plasmonic NanoCavities”.

Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme 2021/22

Professor Normann WITZLEB, Faculty of Law, and Professor Margaret IP, Department of Microbiology, have received a total in travel grants of HK$130,000.

For more details about CUHK projects, please visit: https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/wp-content/uploads/newscentre/pressrelease/table_e.pdf.