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Hong Kong University and Grand Challenges
A partnership between UCL and Hong Kong University (HKU) is encouraging cross-disciplinary research collaboration in support of research focused on some of the world's greatest challenges.
19 July 2017
Purpose of the scheme
The UCL-HKU joint scheme is motivated by HKU’s interests in societally-complex issues impacting people in Hong Kong and in mainland China, notably urbanisation and sustainable cities, healthy ageing, global health, translational medicine, food and water safety and security, transformative technology, transcultural studies including China studies, and justice and equality. UCL's Grand Challenges programme - addressing Global Health, Sustainable Cities, Cultural Understanding, Human Wellbeing, Transformative Technology and Justice & Equality, provides a framing for the inter-institutional collaboration.
Each institution allocates up to HK$300,000 (£30,000) annually in support collaborative activities, enabling up to three joint awards each year. Grant funds are for brief pilot studies, joint workshops, symposia, and travel of researchers and research students between collaborating research groups. This seed funding activity provides a basis for longer-term collaboration between UCL and HKU-based researchers through project and programme grants provided by national and international research funders.
Designed to strengthen collaborative research links between the two universities, the joint awards scheme builds on the HKU-UCL Law Programme, which welcomed its first cohort of Dual Degree students in Law in September 2016, initiating a strategic collaborative relationship between the two premier law schools. The joint award scheme provides a mechanism for researchers from any of UCL's 11 faculties to work with researchers at HKU, at the heart of an economically and culturally dynamic Asian region, on issues of urgent social, health and economic importance in the region.