Early Career Scheme
Early Career Scheme supports junior academics’ independent basic and applied research and educational activities to develop research careers, strengthen undergraduate training, and connect research with teaching.
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Funder: Hong Kong Research Grants Council
Due Dates: August 21, 2026 (Applications start) | October 30, 2026 (Application deadline) | April 15, 2027 (Proposal updates and approval confirmations) | April 16, 2027 (New appointments effective)
Funding Amounts: Normally up to HK$2 million per project, with discipline-specific thresholds and caps; maximum duration of 3–5 years
Summary: Supports junior academics’ independent research and educational activities that strengthen undergraduate research training and teaching-research integration.
Key Information: Applicants must be tenure-track Assistant Professors or equivalent at UGC-funded universities within their first three years of qualifying academic employment.
Description
The Early Career Scheme (ECS), introduced in 2012/13 and administered by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC), nurtures junior academics for careers in education and research. It funds independent basic and applied research across Biology & Medicine, Engineering, Physical Sciences, Business Studies, and Humanities & Social Sciences. Creative Arts proposals are eligible only when their research methods, problems, and processes are clearly explained.
Alongside research funding, ECS supports educational activities that strengthen undergraduate research training and help investigators use their research in an educational context. Education plans may take different forms across disciplines and need not be limited to employing student helpers. Proposals undergo peer review in dedicated ECS panel sessions, allowing junior academics to compete among themselves rather than with experienced General Research Fund applicants.
