Calendar 2001–02

64 Part 2 • General Information Research and Development CUHK fosters quality research over a broad front in all its seven faculties. It offers opportunities for significant advances in human knowledge, and provides scope for academic staff to undertake consultancy and collaborative projects with industry. The University has also established 10 research institutes to provide faculty members with financial support and other facilities for research. While encouraging both basic and applied research in all academic areas, the University also realizes that it is important to achieve excellence and world- wide impact. In addition to two ‘Areas of Excellence’ identified by the University Grants Committee for financial support — Information Technology and Plant and Fungal Biotechnology — the University has identified specific areas which possess world-class strengths academically and offer unique research opportunities. These areas include computer-assisted diagnosis, treatment and training in medicine, marine biotechnology, research in Chinese medicine, e- commerce technologies, educational development in Chinese societies, automation and robotics, research in nanostructured materials, and Hong Kong culture within national, regional, and international contexts. About one quarter of the government’s annual allocation to the University in the form of block grants goes directly or indirectly to research. The University also relies heavily on different external funding sources to support research activities. The Research Grants Council remains the major sponsor of research. In the 2001–2 exercise, CUHK staff secured some HK$96 million in the form of competitive grants. The high quality of research is also reflected in the many papers published in international and local referred journals. Other major sources of funding are the Health Care and Promotion Fund, the Quality Education Fund, the Innovation and Technology Fund, and various private donations. The University’s Research Committee is one of the main bodies responsible for allocating internal funding for research. It is supported by seven subject panels, each consisting of up to 10 experienced researchers. In addition to the allocation of research funding, it is also charged with the responsibility of evaluating and recommending project proposals for external grant applications. The committee is supported by the Research and Technology Administration Office (RTAO). The RTAO is the primary office responsible for research administration and technology transfer. All intellectual property rights are administered through RTAO unless and until assigned. The RTAO also has the responsibility to manage all technology licensing and contracts, in all subject areas. Both the Research Committee and the RTAO report to a pro-vice-chancellor. The recent years saw a rapid increase in technology transfer activities at the University. More and more technologies developed by CUHK have been successfully adopted by industries. For example, a Biometrics and Smartcard Security System was licensed to a local conglomerate in electronic industry in 2000 for further commerial exploitation. The company intends to incorporate the system into a secure electronic transaction platform for a wide range of

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