PolyU SPEED has achieved a landmark success in the 2026/27 Competitive Research Funding Schemes for the Local Self-financing Degree Sector, securing funding for a record-breaking 31 projects under the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the University Grants Committee. The result represents the highest number of funded projects ever secured by the School and marks another significant milestone in its research development journey.
Among all participating institutions, PolyU SPEED ranked second in both the total funding secured and the number of funded projects awarded. The achievement also marks the sixth consecutive year that PolyU SPEED has been placed among the top three institutions in terms of the number of funded projects, demonstrating its sustained strength of its research culture, academic talent, and growing research impact.
The 31 funded projects span across all four academic divisions: Business and Hospitality Management (BHM), Science, Engineering and Health Studies (SEHS), Languages and Communication (LC), and Social Sciences, Humanities and Design (SSHD).
The projects address a wide spectrum of strategic and emerging research topics. Major areas include artificial intelligence, digital medicine, advanced engineering, sustainable technologies, green transportation, smart systems, healthcare innovation, language education and social well-being. Many of the projects adopt interdisciplinary approaches and seek to tackle pressing societal, technological and economic challenges facing Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and beyond.
Beyond advancing scholarly knowledge, these projects are expected to generate meaningful impact through technological innovation, industry collaboration, talent development, healthcare advancement and social well-being. Through its continued commitment to high-quality research, PolyU SPEED is contributing practical solutions to contemporary challenges while supporting Hong Kong’s development as an innovation and knowledge driven economy.
Building on this momentum, PolyU SPEED will continue to strengthen its research ecosystem, foster interdisciplinary collaboration and promote impactful scholarship that advances knowledge, supports industry development and creates lasting benefits for society.
Overview of the 31 RGC-funded Projects in 2026/27
Faculty Development Scheme (FDS)
(Alphabetised by the surnames of the principal investigators)
| Principal Investigator | Academic Division* | Project Title | Awarded Amount (HK$) |
| Principal Investigator | Academic Division* | Project Title | Awarded Amount (HK$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr CHEN Fiona Xiangyan | SEHS | Validation of Intracranial Artery Calcification Quantified by Automated Segmentation and Machine Learning as a Novel Imaging Biomarker for Stroke Reperfusion Therapy | 639,010 |
| Dr CHEN Nuoya | BHM | The Impact of Psychological Gender Identities of Masculinity and Femininity on Online Privacy Concerns and the Consequent Consumer Behaviours | 401,278 |
| Dr CHEN Shu | LC | Earth, Body, Voice: Yi Poetry and the Geopoetics of Knowing | 326,873 |
| Dr FU Sau-chung | SEHS | Enhanced Spray Cooling by Hierarchical Micro/Nano Structured Surfaces and Development of a Compact Spray-based Heat Sink | 595,061 |
| Dr HU Yong | SEHS | Multi-Modal Stability of High-Penetrated Heterogeneous Converter-Interfaced Power Sources: Modeling Framework and Interaction Mechanism | 780,136 |
| Dr HUANG Libei | SEHS | An All-in-one Flexible Airflow Sensor Based on Laser-induced Graphene for Detecting Multiple Flight Parameters of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles | 778,816 |
| Dr LAM Chin-wah | BHM | Paths to Hospitality ESG Performance: A Multilevel Analysis of Leader ESG Orientation, Team ESG Job Crafting, Employee ESG Readiness and Pro-ESG Behaviour | 396,114 |
| Dr LAM King-cheong | SEHS | Framework-Integrated Molecular Motors: Collective Motion and Energy Conversion in MOFs | 575,597 |
| Dr LAU Cindy Wan-yee | LC | “Pseudo-Interactive” Multimedia Input and Early L2 English Acquisition in Cantonese-Speaking Kindergarten Children | 643,677 |
| Dr LAU Mei-mei | BHM | When Doing Good Looks Good: How App Design Affordances and User Motivation Shape Warm Glow and Sustainable Behaviour | 432,753 |
| Dr LEE Daisy Suet-mui | BHM | Default Nudges and Healthy Food Choices: Optimising Choice Architecture and Mitigating Backfire Effect through Personalisation | 479,479 |
| Dr LEUNG Wilson Ka-shing | SEHS | From Resistance to Rapport: Elderly Emotional Responses to Mixed Reality Socially Assistive Robots Through Innovation Resistance and Social Response Theories – Electroencephalogram Experiments in Hong Kong | 577,702 |
| Dr LEUNG Yin-ting | SSHD | Predictors of Euthanasia Choice and Bereavement Trajectories in Companion Animal Loss | 525,167 |
| Dr LIN Shuyang | LC | Understanding the Impact of Generative AI on Critical Thinking: Learning Outcomes, Usage Strategies, and Learner Perceptions in Higher Education | 519,652 |
| Dr MANNER BALDEON Fanny Katherine | BHM | Forest-bathing–as–Trauma-Informed Therapeutic Landscape for Migrant Domestic Workers in High-Inequality Urban Contexts: Evidence from Hong Kong | 458,663 |
| Dr SHI Rui | SEHS | Reusable, Interference-resistant Wearable Bioelectronics for AI-Assisted Proactive Hyperuricemia Management | 876,012 |
| Dr WEN Zhisheng | LC | Modeling the Human-AI Partnership: A Multi-Agent AI System for Collaborative Literary Translation | 574,583 |
| Dr WONG Chi-ho | SEHS | Improving Intercalation and Capacitance in Fast-Charging Aluminum-Ion Batteries, and Evaluating the Effectiveness of Synthetic Data for Capacitance Prediction | 605,828 |
| Dr WU Songman | BHM | Should Leading E-Commerce Platforms Operate Their Own Air Fleets? A Game-Theoretic Analysis of Delivery Performance and Platform Competitiveness | 441,758 |
| Dr YANG Tong | BHM | An AI-driven Cross-Destination Tourist Sentiment Analysis System for Competitive-Collaborative Strategy Development | 582,357 |
| Dr ZHANG Dongyu | SEHS | Towards a Unified Framework for Continual Learning of “Any-to-Any” Multimodal Large Models: Theory, Algorithms, and Benchmarks | 600,915 |
| Dr ZHANG Yanling | SEHS | Towards Green Shipboard Environments: Development of a Smart Liquid Absorption Framework for Marine-Compatible Air Treatment | 566,260 |
Inter-Institutional Development Scheme (IIDS)
(Alphabetised by the surnames of the principal investigators)
| Principal Investigator | Academic Division* | Project Title | Awarded Amount (HK$) |
| Principal Investigator | Academic Division* | Project Title | Awarded Amount (HK$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr CHAN Joseph Hing-lun | SEHS | Innovating Property and Facility Management: Harnessing Technology to Tackle Manpower Challenges | 274,375 |
| Dr DENG Chunrao | LC | AI-Empowered Sustainable Business English: GBA Alliance Hackathon – Facilitating Academia-Industry Talent Alignment and Resource Integration | 466,554 |
| Dr HUANG Libei | SEHS | Advanced Materials and Intelligent Systems for a Sustainable Low-Altitude Economy in the Greater Bay Area | 432,788 |
| Dr LAI Wience Wing-sze | LC | Phonetics & AI in Language Education | 255,262 |
| Dr TAM Choi-fung | LC | From Feedback to Feedback Literacy: Practice, Research, and AI-Driven & Technology-Enhanced Innovation | 399,702 |
| Dr WONG Franco Fong-ching | LC | AI for Autonomy 2027: Self-Directed Language Learning in Hong Kong’s Biliterate & Trilingual Context | 248,500 |
| Dr WONG Macy Mei-chi | BHM | Advancing Generation Z Potential: Skills and Innovation for the Future of Work beyond the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to the Asia-Pacific Landscape | 269,401 |
| Dr WU Andrew Yang | SEHS | Exploring Emerging Research Directions on Multi-dimensional Land-air-sea Green Transport for Developing Smart Charging Networks for EV, Low-altitude Economy and Electric Ferries in Hong Kong and the GBA | 337,137 |
| Dr ZHOU Yingying | SEHS | Converging Advanced Bioimaging and Wearable Sensing: Harnessing GBA Technological Strengths to Pioneer Next-Gen Digital Medicine | 432,845 |
* BHM: Division of Business and Hospitality Management
LC: Division of Languages and Communication
SEHS: Division of Science, Engineering and Health Studies
SSHD: Division of Social Sciences, Humanities and Design