XN000022-1992-01-29 — Page 18

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1992

IN ADDITION, THE

ΤΟ

INSTITUTIONS WERE ENCOURAGED SIMILAR AMOUNT FROM WITHIN THE BLOCK GRANTS TO PROVIDE THE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE.

SPEND A NECESSARY

IN 1990 THE GOVERNMENT ACCEPTED THE UPGC'S RECOMMENDATIONS THAT

ENHANCED SIGNIFICANTLY

BE FUNDING SHOULD

RESEARCH PROVIDED FOR AT THE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS AND THAT A ACTIVITIES

RESEARCH GRANTS COUNCIL SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED WITH EFFECT FROM 1991 UNDER THE AEGIS OF THE UPGC TO OVERSEE ITS DISBURSEMENT.

MILLION

GOVERNMENT SUBSEQUENTLY SET ASIDE A TOTAL OF $510 THE FOR EARMARKED GRANTS FOR RESEARCH IN THE 1991-92 SINGLE GRANT YEAR AND THE 1992-95 TRIENNIUM.

THE INSTITUTIONS WERE ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE SPENDING TWO CENT OF THEIR BLOCK GRANTS AMOUNTING TO APPROXIMATELY $410 OVER THE SAME FOUR YEAR PERIOD ON RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE.

PER MILLION

MR CHAN SAID GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR ACADEMIC INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER RECENT YEARS.

RESEARCH

HAD

CENT OF

THE SUM OF EARMARKED RESEARCH GRANTS AND THE TWO PER BLOCK GRANT FUNDING FOR RESEARCH GREW BY 147 PER CENT FROM $72 MILLION IN 1988-89 TO $178 MILLION IN 1991-92 AND WILL BE FURTHER INCREASED BY 46 PER CENT TO NEARLY $260 MILLION IN 1994-95.

IN

CENT PER

OF

TO THE EARMARKED GRANT AND THE TWO ADDITION BLOCK GRANT FUNDING, A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF ACADEMIC STAFF TIME, EQUIPMENT, LIBRARY AND LABORATORY FACILITIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE RESOURCES WAS ALSO DEVOTED TO SUPPORTING THE INSTITUTIONS' ACTIVITIES.

RESEARCH

MR CHAN GAVE AN ASSURANCE THAT GOVERNMENT WOULD CONTINUE ENSURE THAT ADEQUATE FUNDING WAS PROVIDED FOR THESE PURPOSES.

TO

NEW

RESEARCH

HE POINTED OUT THAT THE INSTITUTIONS HAD RECENTLY ADOPTED

TO FOCUS AND STRENGTHEN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THEIR POLICIES EFFORTS AND TO FORGE STRONGER LINKS WITH INDUSTRY AND BUSINESS.

MENTIONED TEACHING,

CITING SOME

CHAN EXAMPLES OF SUCH INTERACTION, MR

FROM FINANCIAL INCENTIVES AND RELEASED TIME THAT THROUGH FACULTY MEMBERS HAD BEEN ENCOURAGED TO SEEK INDEPENDENT JOINT PROJECTS WITH LOCAL AND OVERSEAS INDUSTRIES.

ALSO, TO SUPPORT LONG TERM PROJECTS INDUSTRY,

AND

RELATIONSHIPS

THE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS HAD FORMED A NUMBER OF

INSTITUTES AND CENTRES RESEARCH

TO ON-CAMPUS

INDUSTRIAL

WITH APPLIED

CENTRES HAS A BROADLY BASED GROUP OF INDEPENDENT TECHNICAL CENTRES, BEEN ESTABLISHED, WITH FUNDING SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT, TO IMPROVE THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN HONG KONG'S BUSINESS CONTEXT.

IN MID-1991, THE TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS, WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE IN- INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD, COLLABORATED IN THE PRODUCTION OF AN DEPTH STUDY OF FOUR AREAS OF TECHNOLOGY, NAMELY BIOTECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY.

TECHNOLOGY,

MATERIAL

TECHNOLOGY,

AND

ENVIRONMENTAL

/THE REPORT

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