Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme Academic 2020 (Fully Funded)

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

Eligibility

Those who are seeking admission as new full time PhD students in Hong Kong universities funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC), irrespective of their country of origin, prior work experience and ethnic background, should be eligible to apply. 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$309,600 (approximately US$39,700) and a conference and research-related travel allowance of HK$12,900 (approximately US$1,700) per year for each awardee for a period up to three years.

250 PhD Fellowships will be awarded in the 2020/21 academic year¹. For awardees who need more than three years to complete the PhD degree, additional support may be provided by the chosen universities. For details, please contact the universities concerned directly.

¹ Universities in Hong Kong normally start their academic year in September.

Selection Panels

Shortlisted applications, subject to their areas of studies, will be reviewed by one of the two HKPFS Selection Panels with experts in the relevant broad areas — one for Science, Medicine, Engineering and Technology and another one for Humanities, Social Science and Business Studies.

Selection Criteria

While academic excellence is of prime consideration, the Selection Panels will take into account, but not limited to, the four yardsticks below for the selection of candidates:

1. Academic excellence;
2. Research ability and potential;
3. Communication and interpersonal skills; and
4. Leadership abilities.

Application Process

Applicants may choose up to two programmes in one or two universities for PhD study in their HKPFS applications. They are also required to submit application(s) for PhD admission to the relevant university(ies) directly for their selected programme(s). Applicants are therefore required to fully comply with the admission requirements of their selected universities and programmes. The HKPFS 2020/21 calls for applications on 1 September 2019. Details on application procedures are available at http://www.rgc.edu.hk/hkphd .