Applications for the Research Fellowship Scheme under the Health & Medical Research Fund opened today.

The scheme supports healthcare researchers or professionals to enhance their skills in public health research and health services research.

The total number of awards will be 20, with UGC-funded tertiary institutions allocated 16 awards and four for designated teaching hospitals.

The grant ceiling is $1.2 million per award, including $400,000 for overseas training.

The Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong can each nominate up to 10 fellowship applicants.

The other tertiary institutions or designated teaching hospitals can each nominate up to eight fellowship applicants.

Each applicant can only submit one application.

To tie in with the Government’s Towards 2025: Strategy & Action Plan to Prevent & Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Cancer Strategy 2019, higher priority will be given to applications which address cancer and the preventable or modifiable risk factors for smoking, alcohol drinking, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity.

Subject to the quality of the applications, at least four of the 20 awards will be granted to applications that can address these four factors for non-communicable diseases, with one award in each area.

The application should cover an overseas training programme with an attachment to a reputable institution for at least three months cumulatively throughout the fellowship period. Regular programmes for higher academic qualifications such as master’s or PhD degrees will not be considered.

It should also cover a small-scale research project relating to the proposed training programme with no more than three research objectives.

The application deadline is January 8, 2024.