With a strategic emphasis on applied research, the University firmly believes that research is an integral part of academic life on campus. It informs teaching and advances the frontiers of knowledge and technology, thus contributing to lifting the competitiveness of business and industry and to Hong Kong's move toward a knowledge-based economy.
In 2004/05, $138 million was allocated as the Research Budget managed by the University's Research Committee. The bulk of this Budget was funded by the UGC, while $10.3 million of it was direct allocation for research from the Research Grants Council (RGC). Another $24 million allocation from the University went toward the work of our Area of Excellence (AoE)/ Areas of Strategic Development (ASDs).
The University received $62.54 million in external funds for project-based research. Notably, these included an encouraging $50.3 million from the RGC's Competitive Earmarked Research Grant (CERG) for the support of 114 projects; in particular, we received the highest levels of funding in both civil engineering and mechanical engineering amongst all the UGC-funded institutions, attracting CERG grants totalling $28.53 million.
In addition, PolyU secured $58 million from the Government and sponsors for 20 projects through various schemes, including the Teaching Company Scheme, Matching Grant for Joint Research, Guangdong-Hong Kong Technology Corporation Funding Scheme, SME Development Fund and Professional Services Development Assistance Scheme.
The funding commitment for ongoing research projects, from both external and internal sources, amounted to $582.62 million. These projects totalled no less than 1,865, with 480 newly started during the year. They represented the efforts of 839 academic staff members and about 757 research personnel, including research assistants and research fellows.
The year also saw the University's research work bearing fruit in the form of 1,838 refereed journal papers, 1,592 conference papers and 1,163 other publications. The annual rate of increase in the number of refereed journal papers published has averaged 7.79 per cent over the last five years.
A total of 1,048 students were enrolled in MPhil or PhD degree studies, of whom 168 graduated during the year — 94 with a PhD and 74 with an MPhil award. About 62 per cent of these research postgraduate students were full-time. More than 460 academic staff members were involved in supervising research degree students.
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