I am delighted to share the excellent results of the Faculty of Science in the RGC GRF and ECS 2026/27 Exercise.
This year, the Faculty secured 63 funded GRF/ECS projects, achieving a success rate of 51.2% and total funding of about HK$62.5 million. This is a 4.0% increase in project count and 34.3% increase in funding over last year’s 47 projects and HK$46.51 million. On a professoriate-staff basis, Science also achieved the strongest performance among the STEM Faculties in this exercise.
This achievement reflects not only the quality of the submitted proposals, but also stronger engagement across Departments in the preparation process. I am grateful to Professor Xuechen Li, Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) for his leadership, to all Heads for actively encouraging and supporting colleagues to apply, and to all applicants for their hard work and commitment. I also thank colleagues who contributed to the grant-writing workshop and sharing sessions, and the Faculty Office team for their coordination and administrative support.
The experience this year shows that early planning, active encouragement and timely support can make a real difference. To build on this momentum, the Faculty will continue to work with Departments to encourage broader participation, and provide targeted support for the next GRF/ECS exercise. Heads are also encouraged to nominate colleagues who may be willing to serve as speakers or share their experience in the coming round.
Congratulations again to all awardees, and thank you to everyone who contributed to this encouraging outcome.
Professor Qiang Zhou
Dean of Science
Dean of Science