XN000022-1996-04-03 — Page 89

Reply:

(b)

(c)

Mr President,

73 -

the respective percentages of funds allocated for researches on topics relating to the humanities, science, engineering, social sciences and business studies; and

the number of research projects which have not been completed within the original schedules or in accordance with the stated objectives, and the percentage of funds allocated for these projects out of the total amount of grants for academie research.

The Government is aware of the following information relating to the allocation of Earmarked Research Grants through the University Grants Committee during the past three years -

(a)

(b)

The Research Grants Council (RGC), under the University Grants .Committee (UGC), receives applications for and approves awards of Earmarked Research Grants each year. In considering applications for research project grants, the Council does not make a distinction between theoretical topics (otherwise known as basic research) and practical subjects (otherwise known as applied research). A breakdown of the proportion of funding allocated for basic and applied research is not. therefore, available and, in any event, the distinction is far from clear-cut in respect of many research topics. One of the criteria taken into account by the RGC in deciding whether a particular research project should be funded is potential local relevance in terms of its social, cultural or economic application. However, the extent to which research topics are relevant to local policy issues cannot always be identified before the research is completed.

The RGC currently deals with applications for research project grants on the basis of four groups of subject disciplines Physical Sciences. Engineering, Biology & Medicine, and Humanities, Social Sciences & Business Studies. The respective amounts and proportions of Earmarked Research Grants in these four subject disciplines in the past three years are shown in the following table: