The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has received a grant of HK$10 million from the Victor and William Fung Foundation Limited to set up the Li & Fung China Social Policy Research Fund, in support of the research and training activities undertaken by the PolyU-PekingU China Social Work Research Centre.
The PolyU-PekingU China Social Work Research Centre, which will be in full operation by the end of this year, is a joint initiative of PolyU’s Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) and the Peking University’s Sociology Department. “The full support of the Victor and William Fung Foundation Limited underpins the position of the Centre of being a hub for mainland social policy makers, and a think-tank for the Chinese Government on the formulation and implementation of social policies.” said Prof. Angelina Yuen, Head of APSS.
At the special lunch reception hosted by PolyU in appreciation of the staunch support of the Victor and William Fung Foundation Limited, PolyU President Prof. Poon Chung-kwong officially announced the $10 million grant by the Foundation. He said, “I sincerely thank the Fung Family for their generous donation, which has given a fresh impetus to PolyU’s continuous effort in research development. We trust that the Research Fund will help the Centre to achieve its goal of fostering positive social development and promoting social harmony in the mainland.” The Victor and William Fung Foundation Limited is funded personally by Dr Victor Fung and Dr William Fung, respectively the Group Chairman and Group Managing Director of the Li & Fung Group.
Playing a pivotal role to strengthen social policy research capacities of the Centre, the Research Fund will help groom a critical mass of high-caliber policy researchers and high-level officials who can take up the future leadership in the social policy-formation and implementation in the mainland. It will also help facilitate the Centre to provide better coordination for numerous joint research endeavours, to sharpen research agenda, and to develop better linkage with stakeholders and Government Ministries.
With two branches on both the Peking University and PolyU campuses which function simultaneously, the Centre will provide an ideal platform for social work scholars, researchers, and practitioners from both places and overseas to congregate, undergo training, conduct and disseminate research, and hold seminars and forums. The Center aims to establish itself, within eight years time, as a leading international center on research in social work research and practice, social development, and social policy studies that pertinent to the changing social context of contemporary China.
The agreement signing ceremony for establishing the PolyU-PekingU China Social Work Research Centre was held in March in Beijing, attended by President Prof. Poon, Peking University President Prof. Xu Zhi-hong, and other senior officials of the two institutions.
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