Current Students - Research Support Fund

1. Research Support Fund

Eligibility

Full-time PhD or MPhil students receiving a full studentship during their normal study period are eligible to apply for reimbursement under the Research Support Fund (RSF). BNBU and self-funded students are not eligible.

Funding Support

The prescribed research student expenses and their maximum amounts to be supported are as follows:

Supported items	Max. Supported Amount	Number of Permitted Claims / Applications
A. International Conference/Seminar B. Non-local International Attachment C. Other (Field Trip, Study Tour, etc.)	PhD students : Max. HK$25,000^a MPhil students: Max. HK$15,000^b (For all supported items, from items (A) to (E))	Multiple claims are permitted, subject to the availability of the remaining balance. Claims can be made in one or more than one application(s).
D. Thesis Editing Fee^a (up to HK$6,000) E. Incentive for Oral Presentation at Reputable Non-local International Conferences (one-off HK$3,000)	Each student may apply only once for each item during their study, subject to the availability of the remaining balance.

Supported items

Max. Supported Amount

Number of Permitted Claims / Applications

A. International Conference/Seminar

B. Non-local International Attachment

C. Other (Field Trip, Study Tour, etc.)

PhD students : Max. HK$25,000^a

MPhil students: Max. HK$15,000^b

(For all supported items, from items (A) to (E))

Multiple claims are permitted, subject to
the availability of the remaining balance.
Claims can be made in one or more than
one application(s).

D. Thesis Editing Fee^a (up to HK$6,000)

E. Incentive for Oral Presentation at Reputable Non-local International Conferences (one-off HK$3,000)

Each student may apply only once for
each item during their study, subject to
the availability of the remaining balance.

^aStudents may, if necessary, apply for reimbursement of thesis-editing fee before submitting their final thesis for graduation.

^bThe entitlement will apply to newly admitted studentship recipients from the 2026/27 cohort onwards, as well as existing studentship recipients after deducting claims made before AY2026/27.

2-Staged Procedures for Reimbursements

There are two stages for the reimbursement procedures (see Application Procedures):

Application for Budget Approval

• Submit to the Graduate School at least three weeks before^c the commencement of the event or engagement of service

Application for Reimbursement

• Submit to the Graduate School within one week of^d returning to Hong Kong or engagement of service

^cLate application will not be processed.

^dPlease note that the Finance Office will not accept reimbursement applications if more than 180 days have elapsed between the payment date and the reimbursement approval date. If the approved study leave period exceeds 180 days, you may submit two separate applications: one for the outbound airfare and another for the remaining expenses, such as accommodation and inbound airfare, where applicable.

Supporting documents should be relevant, arranged and numbered in chronological order, and provided in either Chinese or English wherever practicable. If necessary, translations should be provided for documents / keywords written in languages other than English or Chinese. Otherwise, your application will be withheld from processing. Incomplete application may delay processing and could result in the rejection of the reimbursement request.

2. Global Research Fellowship Scheme

The Global Research Fellowship Scheme (GRFS) aims to support eligible PhD students in undertaking non-local research attachments or research internships at designated institutions.

Eligible Students and Nomination Conditions

The student should be enrolled in a full-time PhD programme at the University.
The student should be a studentship recipient with satisfactory academic progress.
The student should undertake an in-person research attachment or research internship at a designated institution for a duration of at least one month.
The research attachment or research internship should be completed during the student’s normal study period and normally no later than the end of the academic year following the application year.
Retrospective nominations will NOT be considered.

Eligible Institutions

Member institutions under the University’s International Advisory Board for Graduate Studies

Adelaide University	Cornell University	McGill University
Nanyang Technological University	National University of Singapore	The Australian National University
The University of Western Australia	University of Science and Technology of China	Zhejiang University

Eligible universities under the HKSAR Immigration Department's Top Talent Pass Scheme in recent three years (excluding local institutions)

The aggregate list of eligible universities can be found here.

Nomination and Funding Support

Faculties/Schools (Faculties) will be assigned nomination quotas each year based on their RPg student population.

Students interested in applying should contact their respective Faculty/School for nomination details.

Up to HK$60,000 per student.
Basic economy-class return airfare on an actual-cost basis.
Subsistence allowance based on the rates published by the HKBU Finance Office to cover accommodation, meals and local transportation during the attachment/internship period.
Funding will normally be provided on a 2:1 matching basis, with the University contributing two-thirds of the award and the remaining one-third matched by the relevant Faculty or Principal Supervisor.
Each student may be granted funding support for one research attachment or research internship only.
The student is required to submit the GRFS Completion Report within two months after completing the research attachment/internship. Funding will normally be disbursed upon receipt and acceptance of the Completion Report.

Enquiries

For further information on nomination arrangements and application procedures, please contact your Faculty/School.