HKUST Annual Report 2016-17

18 HKUST 2016-2017 Annual Report RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT The University’s research teams generated novel insights and solutions and spurred innovations to improve our future The year was a highly productive one for researchers at HKUST, with funding secured for more than 200 new projects, including a major Areas of Excellence grant, and a series of initiatives to boost and streamline knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship. FUNDING THE WORLD OF DISCOVERY HKUST researchers seek external research funding to support the University’s quest for discovery and innovation. In 2016-17, HKUST researchers received more than $560 million for their work from funding bodies including the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), government and government-related organizations, Hong Kong private funds, and non-Hong Kong sources. Local Projects The University was awarded funding for 217 new projects from the RGC, with a total value of $189.6 million. HKUST again achieved the highest success rate among all eligible institutions in the competitive General Research Fund (47%) and Early Career Scheme (71%) over the past academic year. The largest of these RGC-funded projects was a $83.2 million Areas of Excellence project. The research seeks to identify the fundamental cellular mechanisms underlying learning and memory and reveal more about cognitive dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. Funding of $36 million was awarded to a HKUST-led proposal submitted to the Theme-based Research Scheme. The project combines the expertise of nine institutions in Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas countries in examining the effects of pollution-linked eutrophication and hypoxia in and around Hong Kong waters to inform a scientific strategy to protect and preserve the marine environment in Hong Kong. The University was awarded a total of $27.5 million for five projects under the Collaborative Research Fund, including funding for a deep reactive ion etching system for nanosystem fabrication as well as a platform for measuring the physical properties of quantum materials. The funding will also enable the study of topological phases in condensed matter and cold atoms systems, surface treatments for cooling buildings, and a panel study of community and population aging in Hong Kong. HKUST researchers submitted 111 applications to the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) in 2016-17. Forty-three projects received funding totaling $173.5 million, up from $112 million the previous year. The growing amount of ITF funding signifies the substantial commitment of the private sector to working with HKUST researchers on knowledge generation. In another notable recognition, Prof Danny Leung, Division of Life Science, received a Croucher Innovation Award, which supports the internationally competitive research of exceptional young scientists. Prof Leung was awarded $5 million for his work on epigenetic control of non-coding DNA sequences in cancer. Mainland and International Projects and Collaborations Non-Hong Kong funding provided $67.4 million for 104 HKUST research projects over 2016-17. Mainland Chinese sponsors accounted for the majority of this funding, with contributions from the European Research Council and sponsors in Taiwan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, the US, among others.