UG Summer Research Abroad Sponsorship (USRA)

Guidelines

Call for Applications: USRA 2022/23

Aiming to enhance the research experience and international exposure of students, the UG Summer Research Abroad Sponsorship (USRA) provides financial support to UG students to undertake research under the guidance and supervision of academics at overseas pre-eminent universities.

Proposal Submission

Eligible full-time academic staff should submit a proposal as the Programme Coordinator for a research programme of no less than six weeks in collaboration with an overseas institution. The collaborating institutions should be ranked in the top 200 in the latest world university rankings or leading in the faculty’s respective disciplines.

The proposal should include:

• information on hosting unit and collaborators at the overseas institution;
• programme objectives;
• research activities to be undertaken by UG students;
• deliverables and learning outcome of the programme;
• proposed programme period;
• proposed headcount of UG students; and
• a collaboration letter issued by the hosting unit.
  

   

Proposal Selection and Funding Approval

The proposals will be assessed and selected by a selection panel on:

• quality of the proposal;
• impact of the research collaboration; and
• benefits to students.

The financial sponsorship of a funded proposal is calculated as the number of students approved x student allowance. The student allowance consists of a daily allowance and a travel allowance, shown below.

The sponsorship amount is subject to the availability of funding.

Nomination of Students

The programme coordinator of a funded proposal is required to provide the list of nominated students in accordance with the approved headcount to GS. The nominated students should be full-time UGC-funded degree seeking, non-final year undergraduate students, and have not been granted USRA before.

Responsibilities of Participating Students

Participating students should:
• fill in the sponsorship application form and return it with supporting documents to GS at least 3 weeks before departure;
• acquire sufficient insurance coverage;
• arrange accommodation and visa;
• submit a post-activity report about the experience with at least two photos to GS within 2 weeks upon the completion of programme, and
• share the experience with future participating students.

GS reserves the right to claw back the sponsorship, should the student fail to complete the programme.

Timeline

Date	Event
3 January 2023	Call for applications
28 February 2023	Proposal submission deadline
15 March 2023	Proposal selection and funding approval
17 March 2023	Proposal result announcement
15 April 2023	Student nomination by programme coordinators
30 April 2023	Nomination result announcement

 

Contact

For application and enquiries, please contact the Graduate School by email at gs.attachment@polyu.edu.hk.