Research Grants Council Research Summit 2025

Chairman Lui (Chairman of University Grants Committee, Mr Tim Lui), Professor Tong (Chairman of Research Grants Council, Professor Timothy Tong), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning.  It is my honour to join the University Grants Committee (UGC) and the Research Grants Council (RGC) today for this premiere research summit, a historic milestone marking the Councils’ magnificent journey over the past three and a half decades.  I am truly privileged to join such a distinguished gathering of academic leaders, outstanding scholars, and innovative industry and business leaders.  A very warm welcome to all of you.

The Government and our society at large are heartened to witness the remarkable leaps of our universities in recent years, which have been widely recognised in the global higher education arena.  Hong Kong is home to five of the world’s top 100 universities, and boasts a vibrant community of world-class scholars and welcomes international exchange and collaboration.  Located at the meeting point of East and West, Hong Kong’s collaborative spirit, intellectual curiosity, and innovative thinking have positioned itself at the forefront of scientific and academic advancement in the region, attracting some of the brightest talent from around the globe. 

We have doubled our efforts to attract top talents with the launch of “Hong Kong: Your World-class Campus” under the 2025 Policy Address.  This initiative highlights Hong Kong’s unique advantages and further promotes our universities and the city’s appeal as a premier study destination and knowledge hub. 

With worldwide recognition, the Government is confident of and committed to realising our vision in developing Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent, post-secondary education and innovative research.  While we look forward to the launch of the Northern Metropolis University Town in the near future, the Government has taken active and concrete steps to support the growth of research and innovation in Hong Kong.  With the increase in research funding, we now have 7 200 publicly funded research postgraduate students, including 400 PhD students through the well-received Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, and 60 RGC Junior Research Fellows awarded annually to support post-doctoral research, so that younger scholars will have the opportunity to embark their research career here. 

With the further relaxation on the admission of non-local students, we are expecting the highest internationalised intake ever of both undergraduate and postgraduate students.  Starting from the 2026/27 academic year, the enrolment ceiling for self-financing non-local students in taught programmes at the UGC-funded universities will be further raised from 40 per cent of local student places to 50 per cent, together with the increase of the over-enrolment ceiling of UGC-funded research postgraduate programmes from 100 per cent to 120 per cent. 

Injecting further impetus into our higher education, the Government has recently announced the establishment of a new medical school to elevate Hong Kong’s position as a hub for medical education and innovation.  With the first intake expected in 2028, Hong Kong is well aligned with the national blueprint set out in the Master Plan on Building China into a Leading Country in Education (2024–2035), which aims to build world-class universities and interdisciplinary academic disciplines. 

With these new developments, we look forward to welcoming more outstanding students and young researchers to Hong Kong.  Their fresh perspectives and enthusiasm will inject new energy into our academic community, fostering a vibrant environment where innovative and impactful research can flourish.  By attracting top talent from around the world, we are strengthening our capacity to address global challenges, drive scientific breakthroughs, and solidify Hong Kong’s standing as a premier destination for pioneering research and education. 

Indeed, we need such cross-sectoral, cross-generation, cross-regional, and cross-cultural synergies that arise from international and interdisciplinary collaborations. They are conducive to Hong Kong’s development and benefit not only our city, but also our nation and the world.  Such endeavours are particularly important at a time when innovative technologies such as AI are impacting our daily lives and society in multiple areas, including city management, transport services, recreation and culture, medical and health, welfare, security, finance and business applications.  We are committed to supporting the UGC and RGC’s efforts in nurturing our pool of emerging research talent and taking forward innovative research, both of which are essential for Hong Kong’s position as Asia’s international city. 

Hong Kong is ready to grow into a strategic hub for innovation through more joint research initiatives and endeavours.  We have a strong track record of outstanding and impactful research, as demonstrated by the success of our universities’ performance in recent research assessment exercises conducted by peer experts from around the world.  In this regard, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our academic leaders, in particular, our present and past RGC Chairmen.  The success and solid foundation we enjoy today are the fruits of your wisdom and legacy over the past 35 years.  You are the forerunners who have shaped the paths leading to our success in research and in nurturing generations of young scholars.

The Government will continue to support the UGC and the RGC in their partnership for international exchanges and innovative research.  We are certainly privileged to have such a gathering of brilliant minds here today.  Their valuable advice will definitely serve as beacons as we forge new frontiers and shape the future together.

I wish the summit every success and all participants a fruitful and rewarding day. Thank you.