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Demand for academics in Hong Kong is on the rise thanks to the city's close links with the mainland's educational institutions. Looking out for top-notch educators is the  Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
'[Academics] have much better opportunities than before,' said Ko Jan-ming, Hong Kong Polytechnic University's vice-president, academic staffing and resources.
'Now that we are part of China, we have a much closer link with universities and institutions on the mainland and, therefore, I think we can get involved in very large national projects.'
The university has 50 openings in 21 departments for professors of all grades, including assistant professors, associate professors, professors and chair professors.
The university is seeking 17 chair professors for various departments, including textiles and clothing, social work, Chinese culture, health technology and informatics, land surveying and geo-informatics, management and marketing, accounting and finance, and nursing.
'Candidates need to be excellent in terms of teaching and research,' Professor Ko said.
'In recruiting these senior staff we want to see that they have some leadership abilities.'
While all professor grades need to be outstanding in teaching and research, chair professors and professors will be required to lead projects and supervise research students, and be successful in getting research grants. They should, therefore, be experienced in writing proposals and leading teams in bidding for the highly competitive grants.
Candidates for all positions should also have made a substantial contribution to industry, commerce or their profession, and  have done some kind of public service.
The university will be laying the groundwork through this recruitment campaign for the transition from the 7-3 education system to a 3-3-4 one, scheduled to begin in 2012.
Going from a three-year undergraduate degree to a four-year one requires a lot more staff - about 1,000 more academic staff for the whole of Hong Kong, according to Professor Ko. The Polytechnic University will need more than 100.
Students at the university were 100 per cent local. However, in recent years, as part of Hong Kong's aspirations to become an education hub, about 20 per cent of first-year students are foreigners.
The university wants to become more internationally competitive by attracting internationally recognised professors. Part of their job will be to build up international networks.
'Universities will need academic leaders to support Hong Kong and the region,' Professor Ko said.
And, as part of its strategic four-year plan for 2008 to 2012, the university intends to further strengthen its engineering and science programmes, which are already world-class in teaching and research.
Other areas that have the potential to become world-class include those that, Professor Ko believes, help support Hong Kong's economy, such as the school of design, the school of hotel and tourism management, and the institute of textile and clothing. The textile and clothing institute is working closely with relevant industries on the mainland,  helping with research and development.
The university's health sciences department is also ready for a boost as Hong Kong and the mainland face ageing populations. The school teaches students in nursing, rehabilitation, optometry and health technology.
Polytechnic University started its recruitment campaign two years ago. It made initial contact with top institutions around the world to put the word out to academics that working in Hong Kong would be a great career move.
University officials promoted opportunities for collaboration with institutions and industries on the mainland. One professor is the chief scientist heading an extensive national project related to acid rain and air quality.
Other staff members are working on engineering projects that include some involving long-span bridges across the Yangtze River and the new television  tower in Guangzhou.
New recruits will also be expected to seek and take advantage of the increasing number of opportunities for collaboration on research and infrastructure development on the mainland.
'If you can help these people get opportunities to develop their careers, then [they will be] happy to stay,' Professor Ko said.
'The way academics look at their career development is that they seek 'academic accomplishment'. For example, some get national awards from the central government. That is something they look for.'
Fill in the gaps
Different levels of professors wanted for various departments
Focus on recruiting internationally recognised academics
Opportunities to contribute to large-scale projects on the mainland
Internationally competitive salaries offered for top candidates



Demand for top academics soars