With a strategic emphasis on applied research, the University firmly believes that research is an integral part of academic life on campus. It informs teaching and advances the frontiers of knowledge and technology, thus contributing to lifting the competitiveness of business and industry and to Hong Kong's move towards a knowledge-based economy.
In 2007/08, of a total of 1,127 students enrolled in our MPhil or PhD programmes, 96 graduated with a PhD and 70 with an MPhil award. About 54 per cent of these research postgraduate students studied full-time, while 546 academic staff members were involved in supervising research degree students.
Funding the PolyU R & D momentum
The University continued to receive encouraging public and private funding support for our research development.
During the year, a total of $155.5 million was allocated as the Research Budget managed by the University's Research Committee. The bulk of this budget was funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), while $10.86 million of it was direct allocation for research from the Research Grants Council (RGC). Another $55 million allocation from the University was earmarked for Niche Areas Development.
The University received external funds worth $86 million for project-based research. These included an encouraging $58.22 million from the RGC's General Research Fund (GRF), formerly known as Competitive Earmarked Research Grant, in support of 112 of our projects. Boasting GRF grants totalling $12.4 million in 2007/08, PolyU ranked first among all local universities in terms of funding for the disciplines of civil engineering, surveying, building and construction for the seventh year in a row since 2001/02.
The funding commitment for ongoing research projects, from both external and internal sources, came to a total of $853.3 million. Of the 2,134 ongoing projects, 718 were initiated during the year by a 887-strong academic staff and about 1,420 researchers, including research assistants and research fellows.
Our research efforts culminated in the production of 1,905 refereed journal papers, 1,494 conference papers and 1,182 other publications. The annual rate of increase in the number of refereed journal papers published has averaged 2.02 per cent over the last five years.
Supported by the Industry-Guided Applied Research and Development (IGARD) funding scheme, a total of 10 ongoing applied R&D projects were conducted by PolyU researchers on application areas ranging from stroke rehabilitation, multimedia user interface platform, virtual construction management, nanotechnology and electrical vehicle technology.
During the year, PolyU Technology & Consultancy Co. Ltd. (PTeC) and its product development division Rapid Product Development Syndicate (RAPRODS) achieved a combined record turnover of over $101 million with more than 700 consultancy projects and technologies licensed to industry, serving over 400 clients from across government departments, private sectors and NGOs both locally and internationally.
In 2007/08, the Partnership Development Office (PDO) processed 105 new applications for patents, trademarks and designs, and filed 89 of these applications for the academic staff members. A total of 48 patents, trademarks and designs were granted.
With the support of PDO, a total of 41 projects at some HK$79.93 million were won from various bodies such as the Innovation and Technology Fund, Small & Medium Enterprises Development Fund, Professional Services Development Assistance Scheme, various R&D centres, as well as the business and industrial sector. The well-acclaimed Teaching Company Scheme also obtained a total funding of HK$7.05 million for over 10 projects from both the Government and the business sector.
PolyU's inventors and technologies have also won several awards in the international invention expos.
|