The Review 2016

Fund i ng i s a n ab s o l u t e l y neces sa r y pa r t of ach i ev i ng impact and in 2016, for the 14 th year in a row, HKU was the largest recipient of the General Research Fund ($157.7 million). It also led four of the seven Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) projects that foster interdisciplinary research (worth a total $140 million) and received the lion’s share of funding under the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme ($1.3 million). These awards signal the breadth, depth and quality of research on campus, and there was more good news: HKU received the most Early Career Scheme funding ($22.9 million), signalling the calibre and quality of our young academic and research staff and the potential for greater things to come. The University also received a significant amount of funding from other sources ($599 million from other external grants and endowments, such as donations and contract research), which is something we want to develop further. The Hong Kong government allocation for research, while welcome, is not sufficient to support all of our ambitions. Nor does the University want to rely on this funding as a crutch. Efforts are now being directed towards identifying other funding routes by pursuing collaborations and capitalising on the quality of our research. The pursuit of public-private partnerships is hence an emerging research agenda of HKU (see also Knowledge Exchange chapter). Col laboration is advancing both internal ly and external ly. HKU has promoted interdisciplinary research for more than a decade through its Strategic Research Themes (SRT, and the associated e-SRT – Emerging SRT) scheme, which provides seed funding for faculties and disciplines to collaborate on a common topic. This initiative has contributed to our tremendous success in the TRS – HKU scholars have led 14 of the 30 projects that have been funded under the scheme and are members of 26. Now, we are looking to evolve to the next level of support. The 2016 internal budget allocation included funding for 19 joint appointments to focus on interdisciplinary research. These appointments are each shared by two or more faculties and will support the development of eight interdisciplinary research projects. Internationalisation , another of our central goals, also involves a high degree of collaboration. Good partners can raise our competitiveness by complementing or enhancing our strengths. HKU researchers in all faculties work with scholars around the world and as at November 30, 2015, engaged in 2,284 active research collaborations. The University wants to promote more and higher-level collaborations and has formal agreements with several select universities to that end. In 2016 it signed agreements with the University of Chicago and the University of Sydney to, in part, work together on projects that address pressing global issues, such as those identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, HKU launched the Global 26 27 Partnership Seed Fund to provide initial funding to staff and students to develop new, multilateral, cross-disciplinary partnerships with partners around the world. The fund applies to the full range of our academic activities, including research, teaching and learning, and knowledge exchange. Internationalisation is also a goal for research postgraduate education . By 2022 every student will have a learning experience either in Mainland China or overseas. We have joint PhDs with King’s College London and a Joint Educational Placement for PhD with the University of Toronto. In 2016 we also initiated a joint education programme for PhD students from a fast-emerging regional university, the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Shenzhen. Seventeen SUSTech PhD students were accepted for admission in 2016–17 and they will receive an HKU degree upon graduating. These efforts will not only give students wider experience beyond HKU, but may also be the spark for research collaborations in future years. Mainland China itself is a major focus for deep engagement. The Zhejiang Institute of Research and Innovation (ZIRI), which is an HKU-run facility in the Yangtze River Delta, held its inaugural symposium, which also marked the official opening of its three laboratories devoted to aerodynamics and acoustics, nanofluids and thermal engineering, and physical internet. Similarly, the Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation (SIRI) is aiming to be a significant HKU research presence in the Pearl River Delta. A lease recently was signed for space at the Shenzhen Virtual University Park with wet and dry laboratories. ZIRI, SIRI and other initiatives on the Mainland are managed under HKU’s Mainland Research Projects Office, which helps scholars apply for funding on the Mainland and facilitates and coordinates paths for initiating projects. There are untapped opportunities in Mainland China to turn research results into impact and harvest the results of our discoveries. These collaborations are part of the University’s strategies to deepen its research capabilities and competitiveness, as well as provide career and professional opportunities to students and young researchers. The University is also keen to enhance the impact of our research more generally, a topic covered in the Knowledge Exchange chapter of this report. The infrastructure is in place to translate research into impact, such as the Technology Transfer Office, DreamCatchers initiative and Knowledge Exchange Impact Fund. Most importantly, we are working to develop the culture to make research and impact more integrated – to raise productivity, quality and impact collectively to meet not only academic demands but also societal needs. Research New Dimension Undergraduate Morris Ng (left), Dr Chris Roberts and Dr Kim Ji tae wi th a new, cutting-edge metallic 3D printer, the first of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, which wi l l enable the Mechanical Engineering Depar tment to pr int sophist icated 3D me t a l l i c s t r uc t u r es f o r i nves t i ga t i ng s t ructure-proper t y re l at i onsh i ps and fabricating devices with new designs and functions. The Zhej iang Institute of Research and Innovation (ZIRI), provides a platform for translational research and collaboration with industry in five strategic themes – smart materials, alternative energy, sustainable energy, biomedical interfaces and advanced manufacturing.