Researchers put their thinking caps on

The dearth of research funding in Hong Kong is of much concern to many, but that in no way suggests limited prospects for doctoral students.

Government expenditure on research and development as a percentage of gross domestic product is only 0.6 per cent, compared with more than 2 per cent in countries such as Japan, America and Singapore. The Research Grants Council, a main source of funding for researchers through its competitive research grants, has an annual budget of $400 million, not enough to finance all eligible proposals.

While acknowledging the limited government support for research, council chairman Roland Chin Tai-hong praised the quality of the work undertaken so far.

'We have built up a research culture that every citizen of Hong Kong should be proud of,' he said. 'I am happy to see that we are up to international standard. Are we the top in the world? Definitely not, but we are very high internationally.'

Indeed, vast opportunities exist for budding scientists who want to go into PhD programmes. Such opportunities are being driven by Hong Kong's transformation from manufacturing to product design.

'Unlike before when Hong Kong mainly engaged in OEM, or original equipment manufacturing, many local companies are involved in what is known as ODM, original design manufacturing on behalf of multinationals,' the dean of the faculty of science and engineering at City University, Chan Chi-hou, said. 'Some have even gone into creating their own brands, like iPod accessories. These companies have a low profile, that's why the public is not aware of their existence.'

The dean of science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Cheng Shiu-yuen, said there was a global market for doctorate graduates, not to mention the huge demand for top-notch professionals on the mainland. 'Internationally speaking, 60 to 70 per cent of PhD graduates work in places other than where they pursued their studies,' he said.