Call for applications - RSAP 2023/24 Round 1 - NOW CLOSED!
Introduction to Research Student Attachment Programme – Outgoing
Research Student Attachment Programme (RSAP) provides PhD students with an opportunity for Attachment to Academic Institutions/Research Labs with the objectives to:
a) enhance international exposure to a new environment outside their home country, and/or
b) facilitate collaborative research at top academic institutions and research labs outside Hong Kong.
[Applications must fulfill at least one of the objectives.]
Period of attachment
- The period of attachment is from a minimum of three months to a maximum of one year. The completion date of the attachment programme must not exceed the normal period of study.
- For the awardees of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, the minimum period of attachment is 85 days instead of three months.
- This period of attachment will be counted within the normal study period of the student. The shortening of the study period in Hong Kong cannot be a ground for subsequent appeals.
Eligibility
- PhD students with good academic standing are eligible for application.
- Applicants and host supervisors should have common research interests for supervision purposes.
- Students whose registration is not confirmed may be given a conditional offer to undertake the attachment programme. If they cannot have their registration confirmed before the latest commencement date of the attachment programme, the conditional offer will lapse.
- Awardees of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 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 where applicable.
- Applicants who have previously completed an attachment programme can re-apply.
Financial support
- Students may have to pay the host university's tuition and other fees. It is recommended that students confirm with the host prior to submitting their application.
- Successful applicants will continue to receive stipends and pay tuition fees as required by PolyU, if applicable.
- Successful applicants are entitled to a subsistence allowance of HK$7,500 per month (or a daily rate of HK$250 for a partial month). The maximum allowance is capped at HK$45,000 per trip, i.e., the amount for a maximum of six months.
- Notwithstanding the foregoing, PolyU students from the Faculty of Business, the Faculty of Construction and Environment, and the School of Hotel and Tourism Management who attach to Zhejiang University are entitled to a monthly allowance of RMB7,500 with a cap of RMB45,000 per trip under the Zhejiang University Special Funding Scheme.
- Successful applicants are entitled to a travel allowance capped at HK$10,000 on a reimbursement basis to cover actual travel expenses incurred. Travel expenses cover a round-trip economy class ticket and connecting transportation by the most direct route to/from the host institution and ticket-related taxes, fees and levies.
- The aggregate amounts for subsistence allowance and travel allowance per student throughout the period of study are capped at HK$45,000 and HK$10,000, respectively.
- Successful applicants must commence their attachment programme within nine months of the date of the notice letter from the Graduate School (GS) unless special arrangements are announced. 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.
- For objective (b) of the RSAP, applicants should provide evidence, e.g., university ranking, to support that the host institution is a top academic institution/research lab in the respective discipline. Application can be made via the online submission system. Required submission documents include:
- An invitation letter from the host supervisor or his/her affiliated department/faculty, specifying the full name of PhD student, the name of the host supervisor, and the period of attachment,
- a copy of the academic transcript of the applicant (softcopy of assessment results on eStudent is acceptable),
- a brief CV of the applicant with a list of representative publications, and
- a brief CV of the host supervisor with a list of representative publications.
- Timeline:
| Date |
Event
|
| 11 Sep 2023 |
Call for application |
| 10 Nov 2023 |
Application deadline |
| 15 Nov 2023 |
PolyU supervisor endorsement deadline |
| 22 Nov 2023 |
D/SRC application assessment deadline |
| 13 Dec 2023 |
GS application selection |
| Late Dec 2023 |
GS notification of results |
Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact the Graduate School by email at gs.attachment@polyu.edu.hk.
