EDUCATION
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economics and business strategy as areas of excellence in three UGC-funded institutions.
Research Grants Council
The Research Grants Council (RGC) advises the Government, through the UGC, on the needs of tertiary institutions for academic research and the funding required, and monitors the use of public research grants it has awarded. It comprises seven local academics, eight overseas academics and four local professionals and industrialists. Research grant applications received from the UGC-funded institutions are considered and assessed by the RGC's four specialist subject panels which are composed mainly of local academics, covering physical sciences, engineering, biology and medicine, humanities, social sciences and business studies. The panels are assisted in their work by an independent network of international academic referees who provide impartial and expert advice. In 1999–2000, the RGC received a total of 1 496 applications for its Competitive Earmarked Research Grant exercise. During the year,
the council disbursed a total of $423.3 million for academic research.
To stimulate and encourage industrial participation in and support for applied research in the tertiary institutions, the RGC allocated $20 million in the 1998-2001 triennium for the establishment of new Co-operative Research Centres (CRC), each of which had one or more industrial/business partners. To meet additional demand, the council obtained a further grant of $20 million from the UGC to enable a further exercise to be conduced in the triennium for the CRC Scheme.
During the year, the RGC continued to operate joint research schemes with the British Council, the German Academic Exchange Service and the French Consulate General in Hong Kong to strengthen existing links between local and overseas tertiary institutions. To foster closer collaboration between academics in the Mainland and Hong Kong, it also established a joint research scheme with the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 1998.
Vocational Training Council
The Vocational Training Council (VTC) advises the Government on measures to ensure a comprehensive system of vocational education and technical training suited to the needs of Hong Kong's evolving economy. It administers the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, industrial training centres, skills centres for persons with a disability and the Apprenticeship Ordinance. Its membership comprises leading figures in industry, commerce and the service sectors, employee representatives and government officials.
During the year, 18 training boards and five general committees continued to help the VTC implement its training programmes. The main tasks of the training boards and general committees include assessing manpower needs and recommending measures to meet such needs, prescribing job specifications, training programmes and trade test guidelines, and overseeing the operation of training centres and trade testing.
The VTC has successfully implemented most of the agreed recommendations arising from the 1996 consultancy study with the aim of enhancing its effectiveness and flexibility in meeting the changing needs of the Hong Kong economy. The two technical colleges and seven technical institutes which were formerly operated under