tips for ugc proposals – aoe, thrs, crf, grf/ecs ... · 6/8/2017 · • national natural...
TRANSCRIPT
Tips for UGC Proposals –AoE, THRS, CRF, GRF/ECS …
Engineering & Science-oriented themes
Speaker: Ir Prof. Alex Wai
Vice President (Research Development)8 June 2017
Proposal writing is an important skill of any academic. Having a good idea is necessary but not sufficient to win a proposal. The penmanship of a proposal matters a lot.
2
Outline
I. UGC Grants AvailableII. The Grant Review ProcessIII. Elements of a Competitive Proposal
3
I. UGC Grants Available
4
Research Funding Schemes
Regular Grants• General Research Fund (GRF)• Early Career Scheme (ECS)
Large-scale Grants• Areas of Excellence Scheme (AoE)• Theme-based Research Scheme (THRS)• Collaborative Research Fund (CRF)
Fellowships • Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme• Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme
Competitive Research Funding Schemes for the Local Self-financing Degree Sector - Institutional Development Scheme (IDS)
Research Funding Schemes - International
Fulbright Fellowships Joint Research Scheme (JRS)
• National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) / RGC JRS• The French National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche, ANR)
/ RGC JRS • Scottish Funding Council (SFC) / RGC JRS• European Commission (EC) / RGC Collaboration Scheme• Travel/Conference Grants
• Germany / Hong Kong JRS• PROCORE-France / Hong Kong JRS
II. The Grant Review Process
7
Grant Review Process - GRF/ECFThe review process is NOT a random process:
8
Mid-NovSubmission of proposal
FebAssignment of First and Second Readers
FebProposal sent out for reviews
Mar-AprWaiting for reviews to return
MayProposals graded by First and Second Reviewers
JunRGC panel meeting for final decision
Grant Review Process - AoE, THRS, CRF
9
Submission of
PreliminaryProposal
Review of Preliminary Proposal by
RGC
Submission of Full Proposal
(for shortlisted proposal)
Peer review of Full Proposal by
Selection Panel and external reviewers
Interview (for shortlisted projects)
Announcement of results
III. Elements of a competitive proposal
10
Elements of a competitive proposal – GRF/ECS
Prepare well ahead of time – proposal writing is a year round processChoose a current topic Tell a good story – the difference between a paper and a proposalQuote all your track record Pick the right keywords Always good to have collaborators, particularly international ones
11
Elements of a competitive proposal – GRF/ECS (cont’d)
Must have preliminary resultsDo NOT try to outsmart the system – cite all your work Be reasonable in budget – imagine you are the reviewers Employ the most advanced or innovative research methodologyQuality of Writing - use the editing services of the Research Office
12
Elements of a competitive proposal – AoE, THRS, and CRF
Our target audience is UGC, not ITCCutting edge is the key
– strive to be the best in the world, not just in Hong Kong.Collaboration is the key - interdisciplinary
– don’t be small-minded
13
Any Questions?
Thank you for coming!
&
Good luck!