RGC funding fuels innovation and nurtures young research talents in Hong Kong
Two of the Research Grants Council (RGC)’s key funding schemes - RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS) and RGC Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) - are instrumental in shaping the careers of Hong Kong’s emerging researchers. This article explores the experiences of young research talents mentored by the RGC (Senior) Research Fellows and illustrates how both schemes cultivate future leaders in innovation.
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The University Grants Committee (UGC) and its RGC are the driving forces behind this transformation, providing vital support to exceptional researchers to groom young research talents through a range of research funding and fellowship schemes, including the RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS) and the RGC Research Fellow Scheme (RFS).
Launched in 2019, the SRFS and RFS offer 10 annual awards each, aimed at full professors and associate professors respectively. These schemes provide significant support, allowing recipients to focus fully on research and development by relieving them of teaching and administrative burdens. They emphasise the mentoring of the next generation of postgraduate, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers in Hong Kong through advanced research programmes. Three SRFS and RFS research teams will share their development through the support of the schemes.
How mentorship shapes academic journeys
The SRFS research project led by Professor Hong Ying-yi, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Management at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), focuses on understanding the psychological underpinnings of identities and intergroup relations during socio-political transitions in Hong Kong. Her work aims to identify core features of social identities and their psychological consequences, particularly in relation to intra- and intergroup relations.
Professor Hong’s team uses a variety of research methods to uncover how these identities manifest and influence intergroup relations.
Letitia Lee, a PhD student supervised by Professor Hong, has worked with her teammates to utilise a range of sophisticated methodologies, including telephone surveys, in-depth interviews and epistemic network analysis, to explore the complex dynamics of HongKonger and Chinese identities.
Growing up in Hong Kong, Lee experienced first-hand the rich tapestry of cultural influences that shape identity. This background gives her a deep understanding of the overlapping and sometimes conflicting aspects of Hong Kong and Chinese cultures.
