Hong Kong must allocate PhD research funds on academic merit, not residency status

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Graduating students celebrate with faculty at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, in November 2016. Photo: David Wong

Published: 5:02pm, 24 Aug 2018Updated: 7:50pm, 24 Aug 2018

In his recent column, “The future looks bright for Hong Kong’s scientists and scholars”, Professor Rocky S. Tuan, the new president and vice chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, spoke of the shining prospects for the local research community, referring to new funding from the mainland and Hong Kong governments.

While extra financial resources for local scientists are always welcome, the government must offer more support for doctoral students in Hong Kong, irrespective of their residency status.

Thanks to additional support from the government, local research students do not have to pay the tuition fees for pursuing their PhD in the new academic year. Yet, this tuition waiver is not available for non-local students who are the majority of the research student community.

In the spirit of meritocracy, the government should have allocated the additional resources based on students’ academic accomplishments, instead of residency status.

Hong Kong must ‘innovate or die’, new study warns

In addition to financial support, research students also need more help to advance their academic careers that often hinge on their research publications. With limited experience in academic communication, research students often struggle at various stages of writing for research publication.

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