Background

Established by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong in 2009, the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) aims at attracting the best and brightest students in the world to pursue their PhD studies in Hong Kong’s universities.

Eligibility

Candidates who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in the following eight universities, irrespective of their country of origin, prior work experience and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply.

• City University of Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Baptist University
• Lingnan University
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• The Education University of Hong Kong
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• The University of Hong Kong

Applicants should demonstrate outstanding qualities of academic performance, research ability / potential, communication and interpersonal skills, and leadership abilities.

Fellowship Award

The Fellowship provides an annual stipend of HK$240,000 (approximately US$30,000) and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$10,000 (approximately US$1,300) per year to each awardee for a period of up to three years. More than 230 PhD Fellowships will be awarded in the 2017/18 academic year*. For awardees who need more than three years to complete their PhD studies, additional support may be provided by the chosen universities. For details, please contact the universities concerned directly.

* Universities in Hong Kong normally start their academic year in September.

Selection Panel

Shortlisted applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by one of the following two Selection Panels comprising experts in the relevant board areas:

• Sciences, Medicine, Engineering and Technology
• Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies

Selection Criteria

While candidates’ academic excellence is of primary consideration, the Selection Panels will take into account factors as follows:

• Academic excellence;
• Research ability and potential;
• Communication and interpersonal skills; and
• Leadership abilities.

Official Link: https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/index.html

Deadline: December 1, 2016