We are delighted to announce that Prof. Joanne Yip, Associate Dean of SFT, has been awarded the Research Impact Fund (RIF) 2023/24 of HK$5 million, with HK$3.35 million coming from the esteemed Research Grant Council (RGC). This funding is for her project, "Developing a New Generation of Pressure-controlled Wearable Soft Braces to Improve the Efficiency and Compliance in Treating Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis".
Prof. Yip's significant contributions in the fields of medical textiles and healthcare products have led to this outstanding achievement. Her funded project aims to develop effective and comfortable pressure-controlled wearable soft braces for patients suffering from adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. By integrating advanced technology with her expertise, Prof. Yip's research is set to improve treatment outcomes and enhance the quality of life for patients afflicted with this condition.
The RIF is designed to encourage academics to utilise their research to deliver benefits to the broader community, fostering impactful and translational research projects. The Fund also promotes collaboration between academia, government departments, the business sector, industry, and research institutes.
Successful projects can receive funding of up to HK$10 million per project for a period of three to five years. In total, the RIF supported 14 projects in the 2023/24 cycle.