Press Releases

Call for research grant applications

The Health, Welfare and Food Bureau today (November 30) invited grant applications from researchers for two of the research funds under its administration.

The funds are the Research Fund for the Control of Infectious Diseases (RFCID) and the Health and Health Services Research Fund (HHSRF).

The RFCID, with a fund of $450 million, was set up to encourage, facilitate and support research on the prevention, treatment and control of infectious diseases.

It considers applications for research projects relevant to the control of infectious diseases in the area of aetiology, epidemiology and public health, basic research, and clinical and health services research. Collaborative research with Mainland China and overseas institutions is encouraged.

This year, the RFCID will focus in particular on avian influenza, reflecting the current regional and global concern over the pandemic potential of this virus.

The HHSRF, with a fund of $26 million, was established with the aims of maximising population health, improving the quality of life, and enhancing the standard and cost-effectiveness of the health system through the generation of new knowledge in areas of human health and health services. It has three broad themes centred on public health, health services and Chinese medicine.

A spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said the call for investigator-initiated grant applications underlined the importance the Government attached to medical research.

Since the inception of the two funds, 480 investigator-initiated research applications have been received. Following careful vetting and evaluation, the bureau endorsed 113 projects worth a total of $66 million.

In this application call, higher funding priorities will be accorded to the following areas:

RFCID
* Respiratory infectious diseases
* Avian influenza
* Tuberculosis
* Vector-borne diseases

HHSRF
* Public health theme
* Smoking
* Mental Health
* Healthy community
* Health services theme (especially cancer, heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease)
* Chinese medicine theme (especially interactions between Chinese and Western medicines)

"This list of thematic priorities is an abbreviated version and full details are available on the Research Fund Secretariat��s website. Researchers interested in submitting funding proposals should familiarise themselves with the thematic priorities and application guidelines. Applications falling outside the thematic priorities will be considered, although they will have a lower funding preference," the spokesman said.

The closing date for applications is March 1, 2006. All applications will be subject to a two-tiered peer review process, first by the Referee Panel and second by the Grant Review Board.

Scientific merit, local relevance, research capacity of the administering institution, track records of applicants, "value for money" of the proposals and research ethics will be taken into consideration.

Guidance notes and application forms are obtainable from the Research Fund Secretariat, Research Office of the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau at 18/F, Murray Building, Garden Road, Central or the website at www.hwfb.gov.hk/grants. Enquiries can be made by fax at 3150 8993 or by email to rfs@hwfb.gov.hk.


Ends/Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Issued at HKT 15:30

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