Last submission deadline: 23 November 2012

The Principal Investigator (PI) of an Early Career Scheme (ECS) project grant must be an academic staff member of an UGC-funded institution with conditions of employment meeting all the following requirements: i. within three years of his / her full time academic job as an Assistant Professor or career equivalent involving teaching and research duties and in substantiation track / tenure track position in any university (local or overseas) at the time of the submission deadline of this funding exercise; ii. being primarily engaged in and spending at least 80% of time in degree or higher degree work at the institution proper; and iii. salary being wholly funded by the institution proper.

The following criteria should be used in considering competitive bids :

a. academic quality / merit;

- scientific and scholarly merit of the proposal;
- qualifications and track record of the Principal Investigator;
- originality;
- feasibility within the time-scale of the proposal.

b. institutional commitment;

c. contribution to academic/professional development (where applicable);

d. potential for social, cultural or economic application; and

e. availability of, and potential for, non-RGC funding.