Sixteen HKU projects receive funding under NSFC/RGC Joint and Collaborative Research Schemes

Three project was funded by the NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS).

Thirteen projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme (JRS).

Sixteen research projects by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have secured funding under the National Natural Science Foundation for China and the Research Grants Council (NSFC/RGC) 2025/26 Exercise. Specifically, thirteen projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme (JRS), and three projects were funded by the NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme (CRS), totalling over HK$26.5 million. HKU ranks first among all UGC-funded universities in both the number of funded projects and total funding received.

Professor Stephanie Ma, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) (Interim), HKU, said “I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Research Grants Council for their generous funding and unwavering support of HKU's research initiatives. This significant backing not only enhances our research capabilities but also serves as a profound source of motivation for our dedicated research teams. It fosters increased cross-disciplinary and cross-regional collaboration and innovation between researchers in Mainland China and Hong Kong; and HKU remains committed to advancing the translation and practical application of impactful research outcomes, driven by this valuable support.”

HKU projects funded under NSFC/RGC Collaborative Research Scheme:

Life Science

Host Ecology and Genetic Factors of Tick-borne Virus Emergence

Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Tommy Lam Tsan-yuk, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine

Medicine

A novel composite material combining polycationic/amorphous calcium phosphate and amorphous zirconia to treat dentin hypersensitivity by blocking tubular signal conduction and promoting biomimetic dentin remineralization

Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Chun-Hung Chu, Kingboard Professor in Advanced Dentistry and Chair Professor of Family Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry

New Materials Science

Portable Organic-based Short-Wavelength Infra-Red Detector Arrays for Deep Tissue Biomedical Imaging

Project Coordinator (Hong Kong): Professor Wallace Chik Ho Choy, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

HKU projects funded under NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme:

Information Technology

Algorithm-Hardware Co-design for Efficient Autoregressive Visual Generation

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Xihui Liu, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Heterogeneous photonic integrated circuits for high-precision optical ranging and sensing

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong):  Professor Chao Xiang, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Life Science

The influence of different mycorrhizal types on forest ecosystem structure and function: A multi-scale study from molecules to ecosystems

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jin Wu, Associate Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science

Defining the origin and regulatory mechanisms of hematoendothelial and cardiac specification from mesoderm

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Rio Ryohichi Sugimura, Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine

Medicine

Compare and evaluate anti-tumor responses of IL-10 producing fourth generation CD19 chimeric antigen receptors T cells (CAR-T) with the commercially available productsPrincipal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Kwong Yok-lam, Chair Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine

Management Science

Multivariate assessment, AI-supported prediction, and systematic reduction of lifecycle carbon emissions of the building stock of high-density cities

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Wei Pan, Head, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Marine and Environmental Science

Utilizing phylogeographic approach for tailored development of therapeutic phages against antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Yu Deng, Assistant Professor, Applied Oral Sciences & Community Dental Care, Faculty of Dentistry

New Materials Science

Research and development of key materials and systems for aqueous zinc-organic flow batteries

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Chunyi Zhi, Chair Professor of Energy Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Broadband Impedance Matching Inspired by Dolphin Biosonar

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Nicholas Xuanlai Fang, Chair of Photonics Innovation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Foundation Atomic Models for Structural Alloy Development

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor David Srolovitz, Dean of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Chair of Materials Theory, Faculty of Engineering

High Endurance and High Tunnelling Electroresistance Tunneling Junction Memory Based on van der Waals Sliding Ferroelectricity

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Han Wang, Associate Head, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Developing Copper Catalytic Materials for Asymmetric Radical Couplings

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jian He, Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Others

Precision mass measurements of neutron-rich heavy nuclei on r-process nucleosynthesis path at HIAF facility

Principal Investigator (Hong Kong): Professor Jenny Hiu Ching Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science

The JRS is designed to foster collaboration between researchers and research teams in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland, leveraging the unique strengths of both regions. In contrast, the CRS focuses on promoting larger-scale, interdisciplinary collaborative research involving universities across Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong, with the goal of enhancing research output and impact for both areas.

Please visit the UGC website for the full list of funded projects for 2025/26 under the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme, and the Collaborative Research Scheme.

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