PolyU PhD Scholars ICRF 2025/26 2nd Round
(for research visit commencing during 15 July 2026 - 14 April 2027)
Introduction
PolyU PhD Scholars is a prestigious fellowship that offers a competitive grant to support outstanding PhD students to conduct international collaborative research at top-notch global universities for six months to one year. It aims to enable PhD students to travel abroad and collaborate closely with world-class scholars to tackle pressing problems and train themselves to become future leaders. Successful applicant will be designated as a PolyU PhD Scholar during their research visit.
Application conditions
- Applications for a research visit to a top‑notch university outside the applicant’s home country are eligible. The host university must be ranked within the Top 50 in the latest world university rankings, or within the Top 10 in the relevant subject ranking.
- The research visit is from a minimum of six months to a maximum of one year. (For Dual/Joint PhD students and Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) awardees, please refer to the specific duration requirements detailed in the Eligibility section below.)
Eligibility
- Current PhD students with outstanding academic and/or research performance are eligible to apply for the fellowship.
- Students can only receive the fellowship once within the normal study period.
- Students whose PhD registration is not confirmed may be given a conditional offer to undertake the research visit. If they cannot have their PhD registration confirmed before the latest commencement date of the visit, the conditional offer will lapse.
- Dual/Joint PhD students are eligible to apply for a research visit of up to six months. The visit must be conducted within their study period at PolyU. Students must obtain consent from both supervisors as well as the partner institution before application.
- HKPFS awardees are reminded to note the residence requirement set out in the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme, which specifies “If an awardee stays outside Hong Kong for academic/research activity for an aggregate period exceeding 90 consecutive days, or an aggregate of 183 days, the stipend will be suspended immediately unless prior approval by the Research Grants Council (RGC) has been given upon provision of strong justification by the affiliated university”, and obtain prior approval from the RGC before departure. Students should submit a request separately to gs.matters@polyu.edu.hk at least 2 months prior to the planned departure date.
- Students may receive financial support from either ICRF or Research Student Attachment Programme (RSAP) only once during their study period. Students may indicate on their ICRF application whether it would be automatically transferred to the RSAP for consideration in case the ICRF application is not approved.
Period of research visit
- The period of the research visit will be counted within the normal study period of the student. The completion date of the visit must not exceed the normal study period.
- Students should take visa processing time into consideration when proposing the commencement date.
Selection
All applications undergo a rigorous panel selection process and are assessed based on the following criteria:
- The international standing of the host university and the the relevant subject area;
- The credentials of the collaborator;
- The academic and/or research achievements of the applicant; and
- The quality of the research plan.
Financial support
- A fixed amount of HK$65,000 will be granted to successful applicants.
- Successful applicants will continue to receive stipends and pay tuition fees as required by PolyU, if applicable.
- Students are responsible for any tuition and other fees specified by the host university. Students are advised to consult the host supervisor prior to submitting their application.
- Successful applicants must commence the research visit within nine months of the date of the GS offer letter. Failing that, the approved grant will be withdrawn.
Application procedures and timeline
- Applicants should seek the consent of the proposed host supervisor prior to application. Applicants and the host supervisor should have common research interests for supervision purposes.
- Application can be made via online submission system. Required submission documents include:
- An invitation letter on the host unit’s official letterhead, specifying the full name of the PhD student, the name of the host supervisor, and the visit period;
- A brief resume of the host supervisor (up to 5 pages);
- An up-to-date resume of the applicant, highlighting evidence of outstanding academic and/or research achievements and;
- A well-written research plan (3 pages), including research title, objectives, plan, and significance of the research collaboration, etc.
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Timeline:
| Date |
Event
|
| 16 March 2026 |
Call for applications |
| 4 May 2026 (23:59 HKT) |
Application deadline
|
| 8 May 2026 |
Supervisor endorsement deadline |
| 15 May 2026 |
DoRPgS assessment deadline |
| June 2026 |
GS application selection and approval |
| 15 July 2026 |
GS notification of results |
Disbursement
- The grant should be disbursed after the completion of the research visit, upon submission of a post-event report and boarding passes.
- In the event that the research visit is cancelled or the actual duration falls short of the minimum requirement of six months, the fellowship may be revoked.
Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact the Graduate School by email at gs.attachment@polyu.edu.hk.
