PolyU PhD Scholars ICRF 2024/25 1st Round (Closed. The next call will be in April-May 2025)
Introduction
PolyU PhD Scholars is a prestigious fellowship that offers a competitive grant to support outstanding PhD students to conduct international collaborative research at top-notch global universities for six months to one year. It aims to enable PhD students to travel abroad and collaborate closely with world-class scholars to tackle pressing problems and train themselves to become future leaders. Successful applicant will be designated as a PolyU PhD Scholar during their research visit.
Period of research visit
- The research visit must last a minimum of six months to a maximum of one year.
- The period of the research visit will be counted within the normal study period of the student. The completion date of the visit must not exceed the normal study period.
- Students should take visa processing time into consideration when proposing the commencement date.
Eligibility
- Current PhD students with outstanding academic and/or research performance are eligible to apply for the fellowship.
- Students can only receive the fellowship once within the normal study period.
- Students whose PhD registration is not confirmed may be given a conditional offer to undertake the research visit. If they cannot have their PhD registration confirmed before the latest commencement date of the visit, the conditional offer will lapse.
- Awardees of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme are reminded to note the residence requirement set out in the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme, which specifies “If an awardee stays outside Hong Kong for academic/research activity for an aggregate period exceeding 90 consecutive days, or an aggregate of 183 days, the stipend will be suspended immediately unless prior approval by the Research Grants Council (RGC) has been given upon provision of strong justification by the affiliated university”, and obtain prior approval from the RGC before departure. Students should submit a request separately to gs.matters@polyu.edu.hkat least 2 months prior to the planned departure date.
Selection
All applications undergo a rigorous panel selection process and are assessed based on the following criteria:
- The international standing of the host university and the collaborator;
- The academic and/or research achievements of the applicant; and
- The quality of the research plan.
Financial support
- A fixed amount of HK$55,000 will be awarded to successful applicants.
- Students can concurrently apply for this fellowship and the Research Student Attachment Programme (RSAP) to maximise financial support for the visit.
- Successful applicants will continue to receive stipends and pay tuition fees as required by PolyU, if applicable.
- Students are responsible for any tuition and other fees specified by the host university. Students are advised to consult the host supervisor prior to submitting their application.
- Successful applicants must commence the research visit within nine months of the date of the GS offer letter. Failing that, the approved grant will be withdrawn.
Application procedures and timeline
- Applicants should seek the consent of the proposed host supervisor prior to application. Applicants and the host supervisor should have common research interests for supervision purposes.
- Application can be made via online submission system. Required submission documents include:
- An invitation letter from the host supervisor or host unit, specifying the research visit period;
- A brief CV of the host supervisor;
- An up-to-date CV of the applicant, highlighting evidence of outstanding academic and/or research achievements; and
- A well-written research plan (3 pages), including research title, objectives, plan, and significance of the research collaboration, etc.
- Applicants who wish to concurrently apply for ICRF and RSAP are required to submit one single application only and indicate "Application Type" in the system.
- Timeline:
| Date |
Event
|
| 2 Sep 2024 |
Call for applications |
| 31 Oct 2024 (23:59 HKT) |
Application deadline
|
| 6 Nov 2024 |
Supervisor endorsement deadline |
| 13 Nov 2024 |
D/SRC assessment deadline |
| 11 Dec 2024 |
GS application selection and approval |
| 31 Dec 2024 |
GS notification of results |
Disbursement
- The grant should be disbursed after the completion of the research visit, upon submission of a post-event report and boarding passes.
- In the event that the research visit is cancelled or the actual duration falls short of the minimum requirement of six months, the fellowship may be revoked.
Enquiries
For enquiries, please contact the Graduate School by email at gs.attachment@polyu.edu.hk.
