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Application for Two-Year URIS 2026/27

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1. About URIS 2026/27

Programme

  • All research projects shall commence on 1 September 2026 with a fixed project duration of TWO years. Requests for project extension are generally not accepted unless strong justifications are provided.

  • Workshops and seminars are offered in Sem 1 and Sem 2 every year. Topics include research methods, research project management, research ethics, academic writing, presentation skills, data visualization, innovative thinking and more.

  • URIS Showcase is an annual event where students showcase their research findings, providing opportunities to exchange ideas, learn, and socialise with peers and academics.

 Financial Support

  • A URIS Scholarship of up to HK$20,000 will be awarded to each successful applicants. The scholarship will be released to students in two instalments, subject to satisfactory progress/completion review. In the event of programme withdrawal or failure to fulfill any programme requirements, the scholarship offer will be forfeited at once.

  • Each research project is awarded a URIS Project Grant of HK$30,000.

  • Outstanding projects may be nominated for the Best URIS Research Project Award which includes a cash prize.

  • Other exclusive funding opportunities under CURI are available for application.

2. Application for Admission

Student Eligibility

  • Full-time PolyU students proceeding to Year 2 study of a 4-year undergraduate programme or students proceeding to Year 2 or Year 3 study of a 5-year undergraduate programme, with a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 at the end of Semester Two of 2025/26 academic year and have a clean student disciplinary record.  

Supervisor Eligibility

  • Full-time PolyU faculty members at the level of Research Assistant Professor or above. In cases where the Chief Supervisor is a Research Assistant Professor, co-supervision by a tenure-track academic staff is mandatory.

Selection Criteria

  • Quality of the research proposal as in research value, originality, methodology, feasibility and deliverables;

  • Students' academic performance; and

  • Students' track record of research experience, demonstrated through research prizes or awards, or appointment as a research assistant.

Application Procedures

Step 1: Reach out to the potential supervisor on the PolyU Scholars Hub or the Supervisor List and obtain consent for being the project supervisor.

Step 2: Prepare the research project proposal of not more than four A4 pages (single line spaced); with staged objectives, milestones and deliverables, etc.

Step 3: Download the latest assessment result from eStudent. This will help your supervisor better understand your academic progress. The CURI Administration will verify your final GPA with the Academic Registry in early June 2026.

Step 4: Complete the online application and upload required documents by the application submission deadline.

Timeline

  •  Event  Key Date / Deadline
    Information session for students 26 February 2026
    Call for applications 2 March 2026
    Application submission deadline 22 April 2026
    Chief supervisor endorsement deadline 28 April 2026
    D/SRC endorsement deadline 11 May 2026
    Eligibility check by GS Early June 2026
    Panel selection and approval
    		 Mid-June 2026
    Result announcement by email Late June 2026
    Offer acceptance by successful applicants Late June 2025

The University reserves the right to modify the programme, its related regulations and admission quota as deemed necessary without prior notice. In the event of any disputes, the University reserves the right to make the final decision.

FAQs

For programme details and regulations of each URIS cohort, please refer to the respective handbook or guidelines here. 

Yes, we encourage cross-department and interdisciplinary research projects.
The yearly admission quota for URIS is 100, with 50 quotas offered to holders of PolyU Entry Scholarships for selected first-year-first-degree (FYFD) students, and 50 quotas for current students.
The URIS research project can be a precursor of FYP or Capstone project. In addition, students should complete the URIS programme before their final year of study.

Students admitted to URIS are given priority to admit to CURI RC at the Homantin Halls of Residence throughout the two-year URIS programme, subject to satisfactory progress review result. Students are required to reside in CURI RC throughout the programme unless a discretionary exemption for not residing in the student hall is approved. If students are admitted to URIS and have received multiple hall offers, they are mandated to reside in the CURI RC. 

Students should submit online hall application directly to SAO in May. Please refer to the SAO's website https://www.polyu.edu.hk/sao/srss/hall/hall-admission/hall-application/ for more details.

In principle, students should conduct research in Hong Kong throughout the programme period and physically attend CURI Workshop and Seminar Series. However, in the case of two-year URIS programme, requests for prolonged absence from campus for exchange study or overseas internship will be considered. 

Students undertaking exchange study and internship outside Hong Kong during the programme period must submit an Undertaking Form, downloadable on the GS Website, to CURI Administration at least four weeks prior to the departure, indicating commitment to continue URIS research activities abroad without progress delay. Chief Supervisors must provide written approval and consent for remote project supervision. In addition, students may be required to attend make-up sessions to meet the attendance requirements of CURI Workshop and Seminar Series.

For those who went on activities outside Hong Kong for more than six weeks without proper approval from CURI, the students concerned may be terminated from URIS programme. The remaining amount of scholarship, hall residency at CURI RC and CURI membership for students concerned will be discontinued, and any unspent project grant will be clawed back with immediate effect.

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