Campus Digest

HKBU research community welcomes the 2026/27 academic year

Monday, 14 September 2026

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The HKBU Research Community Assembly aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and future collaborations by providing a platform for colleagues across faculties to connect and share ideas.
(From left) Mountain Hsu, Director and President of BHKAEC; Professor Johnny M Poon; Professor Christy Cheung; Professor James Tang; Professor Lyu Aiping, Professor Liu Jiming, Interim Provost and Chair Professor in Computer Science; Professor Cheung King-ho, Executive Associate Dean of Graduate School; Professor Daniel Lai, Dean of Arts and Social Sciences and Chair Professor in Social Sciences; and Professor Li Min, Dean and Chair Professor in Chinese Medicine.
Professor Lyu Aiping expresses profound appreciation to the research community for their remarkable achievements over the past academic year.
(From left) Professor Johnny M Poon moderates the distinguished panel, which features Professor James Tang alongside HKBU’s esteemed scholars who were awarded the competitive RGC fellowships: Professor Christy Cheung (2019/20 Senior Research Fellow), Professor Gao Meng (2026/27 Senior Research Fellow; and Professor Han Bo (2026/27 Research Fellow).
Professor James Tang shares how RGC schemes support academics at different stages.
Professor Alex Wai (right), President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, networks with guests and researchers.
Featuring significant researchers and schemes of HKBU including Rising Stars, Outstanding Research Output Awards, RGC fellowships, Guangdong and Hong Kong Universities’ "1+1+1" Joint Research Collaboration Schemes, the display area also recognises the 2026 GRF and ECS recipients for their achievements and efforts.
Researchers engage in interactive activities at the fun booth, designing their own tote bags and luggage tags.

 

The HKBU Research Community Assembly marked the beginning of a promising new academic year on 4 September 2026, bringing together new and returning researchers to celebrate the University’s recent achievements and look ahead to future discoveries.

As an important component of Research Mingle, Research Office’s flagship event series, the HKBU Research Community Assembly aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and future collaborations by providing a platform for colleagues across faculties to connect and share ideas. It was graced by distinguished external guests, including Professor James Tang (Secretary-General, University Grants Committee) and other key personnel of stakeholders including the Beijing-Hong Kong Academic Exchange Centre (BHKAEC) and the Croucher Foundation.

In his opening remarks, Professor Lyu Aiping, Vice-President (Research and Development) cum Dean of Graduate School, congratulated the community on a year of exceptional accomplishments. He highlighted a significant 46% increase in funded projects under the Research Grants Council’s (RGC) General Research Fund (GRF) and Early Career Scheme (ECS), securing HK$68.68 million in competitive funding and pushing the University's overall success rate to a three-year high.

Professor Johnny M Poon, Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research) later chaired a panel discussion with Professor James Tang alongside HKBU’s scholars who were awarded the competitive RGC fellowships. They included Professor Christy Cheung, Director of Research Office and Chair Professor of the Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems; Professor Gao Meng of the Academy of Geography, Sociology and International Studies; and Professor Han Bo of the Department of Computer Science. The discussion explored topics such as how the fellowship has cultivated research leadership and the role of mentorship. 

Professor Tang shared how RGC schemes support academics at different stages, this year’s budget allocations, and future developments. From early career scholars to experienced researchers, and from Hong Kong academic communities to mainland Chinese networks, he introduced a spectrum of RGC funding opportunities tailored to various career stages and regions. 

Building on such opportunities, HKBU has recently seen encouraging results at the National Natural Science Foundation of China, alongside GRF, ECS, the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme, and the Overseas Research Fellowship Scheme earlier this year.