The following is issued on behalf of the University Grants Committee:


Applications for Hong Kong PhD Fellowships

For more information, please contact:
Daniel McAtee at 202-238-6360
Melissa Ng / David Hsieh at 212-752-3320
Wing Yan Tong at 415-835-9315

September 14, 2009 - Established by the Research Grants Council (RGC), the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme is now inviting applications to attract outstanding PhD students around the world to pursue their research degree programs in Hong Kong.

“Through the PhD Fellowship Scheme, our outstanding universities offer excellent research opportunities in a broad range of PhD degree programs for the best and brightest students in the world,” Chairman of the RGC Professor Roland Chin said.

Candidates seeking admission as new full time PhD students in UGC-funded institutions of Hong Kong, irrespective of their country of origin and ethnic background, are encouraged to apply.

“The objective of the scheme is to unite the brightest research postgraduate students and Hong Kong's institutions, with a vision to nurture the best students excelling in their chosen fields, with groundbreaking research and global outlook, poised to cope with the challenges of a changing world. We welcome students from all corners of the globe, of course, including students from Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland.”

The fellowship provides a monthly stipend of HK$20,000 (US$2,564) and conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$10,000 (US$1,282) per year for the awardees for a maximum period of three years. It is expected that 135 PhD Fellowships will be awarded for the 2010-11 academic year. Selection panels with experts in the relevant areas, including sciences, medicine, engineering and technology, humanities, social sciences and business studies, will be formed to assess and select the applications.

To be awarded the fellowship, candidates should demonstrate outstanding academic qualities, research ability and potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

“To develop the city into a regional and international hub for higher education and talent development, the scheme is aimed at promoting international research collaboration and establishing academic links with institutions globally. Through the dynamics among the top students from with different cultural background, we envisage that the educational experiences will be enriched by the blend of diverse cultures, and the academic standard of Hong Kong’s higher education will be substantially elevated,” Professor Chin said.

All applications should be submitted on-line by December 1 via the On-line Application System by visiting the Web site [www.rgc.edu.hk/hkphd]. For enquiries, please email: HKPF@ugc.edu.hk .