Can I, as a Principal Investigator (PI) in my research contract, apply for the Government’s Research Matching Grant Scheme (RMGS)?
As long as the application criteria of RMGS are met, the payments received under a research project established through the research contract are eligible for RMGS.
However, double matching or double subsidisation is prohibited; projects that have secured public/government funds (e.g. the Innovation and Technology Fund, research grants from the UGC and the RGC, the Research Impact Fund, etc.), and donations/research grants/research contracts already matched with public funds within Hong Kong under other matching schemes (e.g. the Eighth Matching Grant Scheme) will not be eligible for matching grants under the RMGS. For more details, please visit the University Grants Committee website on RMGS.
Please also take note of the below when filling in your RPD Form and Research Budget Table as advised by the University’s Finance Office and ORKTS:
i. Project fund start and end dates must be filled in;
ii. Please double check the entity name (whether the entity / company name stated on the contract is consistent with the RPD form);
iii. Please check whether the casting of the RPD Form and Research Budget Table is correct;
iv. Round the amounts to 2 decimal places, if applicable;
v. The project funding should primarily be used in undertaking research work/activities/projects/initiatives in Hong Kong in order to be eligible for RMGS;
vi. Costs not for research (such as administration cost, general expenses, entertainment expenses, etc.) are not eligible for RMGS;
vii. It has been clarified with UGC that certain types of service, such as testing service using conventional technology or service for holding a seminar are not seen as involving research element and hence not eligible for RMGS; and
viii. If you have ideas on the RMGS usage, if awarded, you should indicate the specific research title with a preliminary budget on the usage of the matching fund in the RPD form (e.g. 40% research staff cost, 40% equipment, 20% consumables), which can be changed subsequently.