Deadline: 01/12/2010
Open to: excellent students
Stipend: US$2,600 + a conference and research travel allowance
The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), established by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) offers PhD programmes in Hong Kong Institutions.
Eligibility
Those who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in Hong Kong institutions funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), irrespective of their country of origin and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply. Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.
The Fellowship
The Fellowship provides a monthly stipend of HK$20,000 (approximately US$2,600) and a conference and research related travel allowance of HK$10,000 (approximately US$1,300) per year for the awardees for a period of three years. About 135 PhD Fellowships will be awarded each academic year1. For awardees who need more than three years to complete the PhD degree, additional support may be provided by the chosen institutions. For details, please contact the institutions directly.
The Academic year in Hong Kong normally starts in September.
Selection
Selection Panels
Shortlisted applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by one of the two HKPF Selection Panels with experts in the relevant broad areas — one for science, medicine, engineering and technology and another one for humanities, social science and business studies.
Selection Criteria
While the academic excellence is of prime consideration, the Selection Panels will take into account, but is not limited to, the four yardsticks below for the selection of candidates:
1. Academic excellence;
2. Research ability and potential;
3. Communication, and interpersonal skills; and
4. Leadership abilities.
Application Process
Applicants may choose up to two programmes in one or two institutions for PhD study in their HKPFS applications. They are also required to submit application(s) for PhD admission to the relevant institution(s) directly for their selected programme(s). Applicants are therefore required to fully comply with the admission requirements of their selected institutions and programmes. The HKPFS 2011/12 will call for applications in September 2010. Detailed arrangements for the application process will be announced later.
Admission requirements of individual institutions are as follows:
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong Institute of Education
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Individual institutions may conduct interviews with applicants as part of the assessment for selection. Candidates not selected for the HKPFS may also be accepted by the concerned institution for admission and offered with postgraduate studentship of the institutions.
For more information, visit the official website.
