The Review 2005

The University once again obtained the lion’s share of funding in the local Competitive Earmarked Research Grants Exercise, securing $125.49 million. This represented 31 per cent of the total, up from 27.6 per cent last year. 1 8 T HE R E V I EW 2 0 0 5 World Bank and the United Nations. Recent activities include a research partnership with the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences to study education in Tibet, and a major international meeting on higher education organised with the Kunming University of Science and Technology and the University of California at Los Angeles. We also negotiate directly with other institutions to initiate projects. In 2004-05, the Faculty of Medicine became involved in a project to test new therapies for spinal cord injuries, in collaboration with Rutgers University at New Jersey and several Mainland and Hong Kong hospitals. Our genetic scientists joined academics from several European universities to produce the complete genome sequence and physiological study of a bacterium that could be a promising tool for the study of ageing and the biotechnology production of proteins. And the Faculty of Dentistry joined an 11-country investigation into the causes of autoimmune reactions. The University also looks beyond the confines of academic circles for collaborative opportunities. Often, end-users of our research are involved. In 2004-05, the Hong Kong Police provided input in a project to refine a digital detective used for retrieving information from computers, while the Hongkong Post sought our help to develop a program to protect data transmissionover the Internet. Scholarship fromtheDepartment of Ecology and Biodiversity underpinned a decision by the Convention on Illegal Trade in Endangered Species signatories to extend protection to the Humphead Wrasse, a popular dinner table fish in Hong Kong. Apart from bridging disciplines, another important direction in our research is the cultivation of partnerships with scholars beyond our campus boundaries, in particular overseas. The University is a member of Universitas 21 , a network of 17 leading research-intensive universities. Through this association, we are involved in a global investigation into e-health, which has the potential to bring expert medical care to the poorest areas of the world. Closer to home, the Faculty of Education’s Wah Ching Centre of Research on Education in China acts as a bridge between scholars in Mainland China and abroad, by promoting joint research with other academics and institutions such as the Dr Patrick Hawley recently joined the University as Assistant Professor of Philosophy. “I am very excited and happy to be teaching here. The Philosophy Department at HKU, probably uniquely in the world, combines the study of both Western and Chinese philosophy. That makes it a stimulating place to conduct research.”