Newsletter No. 500

The University Part 1 The University’s Research Committee is one of the main bodies responsible for allocating internal funding for research. It is supported by eight subject panels, each consisting of up to 22 experienced researchers. In addition to allocation of research funding, it is also charged with the responsibility of evaluating and recommending project proposals for external grant applications. It is supported by the Research Administration Office, which is responsible for research administration as well as for implementation of policies for the enhancement of the University’s research portfolio. The Technology Licensing Office is the primary office with responsibility for technology transfer and management of intellectual property rights arising from research activities. The recent years saw a rapid increase in technology transfer activities at the University. More and more technologies developed by CUHK have been adopted by industries. As of June 2009, CUHK and its staff have secured over 182 patents that cover major jurisdictions worldwide. These patents have been actively licensed and resulted in a licence rate of 45% that compares favourably against the accepted rate of 30% for university licensing. Finance Funding from the Hong Kong SAR government is the main source of income and constitutes 56% of the University’s revenue for capital and recurrent expenses. Income from tuition, programme and other fee, being the next important source of revenue, accounts for 21% of total income. In addition, the University and its constituent Colleges have endowment funds at their disposal and also receive financial support from private donors for research and other designated purposes. The annual total income for the University is about HK$5.6 billion. Negotiations between the University and the government are conducted through UGC, which is the committee advising the government on the financial requirements of the University. Lands and Buildings The University campus, measuring approximately 134 hectares, is located on a tract of land under lease from the government north of downtown Shatin in the New Territories. It commands a scenic view of Tolo Harbour to the north and Tide Cove to the east. The campus varies in elevation from 4.4 to 140 metres above sea level and has been carved from a rocky promontory into a number of plateaux to provide the sites for buildings of the University and its Colleges, as well as blocks of staff residences. To date, there are over 150 buildings, large or small, have been erected on this once barren hillside. Buildings for central activities are located mainly at the mid-level. The expanse of land in the valley next to the University Station of the Mass Transit Railway (East Rail Line) is the campus of Chung Chi College. At the highest