Last submission deadline: 3 September 2012

Hong Kong applicants should meet fully the requirements for applying the RGC General Research Fund (GRF) (Please refer to paragraph 8(a) in Part II of Explanatory Notes for GRF Application Form "e;GRF2"e; which is uploaded on the RGC website: http://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/form/form.htm). Moreover, a Principal Investigator (PI) of an on-going SRFDP & RGC ERG JRS project is not allowed to submit a new application unless both collaborative partners have submitted their completion reports of the last approved project to the MOE and the RGC before the application deadline. Nevertheless, he / she could participate in a new proposal under the Scheme if not in the capacity as a PI. The Hong Kong project team must involve at least one research postgraduate student pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the UGC-funded university (PhD student) at any time throughout the project period. Mainland applicants should check with the Centre for Science and Technology Development of the MOE for their eligibility requirements. Researchers outside Hong Kong and the Mainland may participate as members of the Hong Kong or the Mainland research team.

The evaluation criteria include:

a. scientific merits, including:

- project objectives and significance
- originality and theoretical basis of the academic ideas
- academic merits and socio-economic benefits
- research plan and methodology

b. credentials and track record of researchers;

c. possible synergy, expected benefits, and prospects for longer-term collaboration; and

d. plans for training of young researchers.