PolyU SPEED has achieved its best-ever results in research funding, securing approximately HK$12.23 million for 21 research projects under the Competitive Research Funding Schemes for the Local Self-financing Degree Sector 2025/26. This funding, provided by the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the University Grants Committee, reinforces PolyU SPEED’s position as a leading institution in the self-financed sector.
This year, PolyU SPEED ranked as the first runner-up among 15 self-financing institutions in terms of the number of funded projects. It also marks the fifth consecutive year that PolyU SPEED has placed among the top three institutions in research funding in terms of the number of funded projects, underscoring its consistent excellence and growing reputation in academic research.
The 21 funded projects span across four academic divisions: Business and Hospitality Management (BHM), Science, Engineering and Health Studies (SEHS), Languages and Communication (LC), and Social Sciences, Humanities and Design (SSHD). These projects reflect a diverse and impactful range of research themes, including artificial intelligence and generative AI, sustainable consumption and green technologies, healthcare innovation and elderly well-being, advanced materials and sensor development, tourism forecasting and experience economy, as well as language aptitude and public policy.
These initiatives not only advance academic knowledge but also contribute to societal well-being and technological innovation.
PolyU SPEED will continue to build on its strong research foundation, striving to make impactful contributions to both local and global communities through interdisciplinary and forward-thinking scholarship.
Overview of the 21 RGC-funded projects in 2025/26
Faculty Development Scheme (alphabetised by the surnames of the principal investigators/team leaders)
| Principal Investigator/Team Leader | Academic Division* | Project Title | Awarded Amount (HK$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr CHAN Elaine Ah-heung | BHM | Technostress and Experience Economy: The Effects of Augmented and Virtual Reality in Museums from Different Generational Cohorts | 359,452 |
| Dr CHAN Joseph Hing-lun | SEHS | Development of a Cloud-based Fuzzy Assessment Framework for Smart Age Friendly Housing for Middle Class Elderly in Hong Kong | 570,017 |
| Dr FU Sau-chung | SEHS | Study of the Distortion of Surface Acoustic Wave by Nanoparticles in Microfluidics Towards the Development of an Ultrafine Particle Sensor | 754,500 |
| Dr HUANG Wenli | BHM | The Role of Social Media in Unveiling Corporate Greenwashing: Evidence from Hong Kong | 611,624 |
| Dr KHAN Sheheryar | SEHS | Developing Knowledge Driven Multimodal Framework for 3D MRI Analysis and Interpretation: Grounding Visual Language Models for Diagnostic Reasoning | 654,945 |
| Dr LAU Mei-mei | BHM | Pathways to Sustainable Consumption Behaviour: Using the Power of AR and VR Technologies in Driving Circular Movements in Hong Kong | 884,312 |
| Dr LEUNG Wilson Ka-shing | SEHS | From Play to Health: Enhancing Elderly Engagement with Exergames Through Affordance and Goal Framing Theories – A Longitudinal Study and Experiments in Hong Kong | 753,744 |
| Dr LIANG Shanjun | SEHS | Development of Ultra-Broadband Airflow Transparent Noise Barrier by Combining Meta-Resonance System and Highly Absorptive Units | 649,310 |
| Dr LOH Anthony Wai-keung | SEHS | Reinforcement Learning-Driven Adaptive Traffic Noise Barrier | 818,793 |
| Dr LU Wen | LC | Towards a Typology of Progressive Marking in Sinitic Languages – Synchrony and Diachrony | 643,594 |
| Dr NG Sun-pui | SEHS | Golden Bamboo Grass (GBG)-Reinforced Polylactic Acid (PLA) Biocomposite for Sustainable Toys | 570,017 |
| Dr SHI Rui | SEHS | Thin, Soft, Sensitivity-Tunable, Low-Voltage-Driven OECT-based bioinspired E-Skin with 3D Mesostructured for tactile perception in Humanoid Robots | 699,944 |
| Dr TAVITIYAMAN Pimtong | BHM | Impact of Customers’ Knowledge and Primary Healthcare Initiatives on Customers’ Experiences of Service Quality Attributes, Consumption Values, Place Attachment, and Behavioural Intention: Multilevel Analysis of District Health Centres (DHCs) | 461,020 |
| Dr WONG Chi-ho | SEHS | Explore the Potential of Carbyne-Fused Carbon Nanotube for Upgrading Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Together with the Development of AI-Driven Aging Prediction | 814,054 |
| Dr WU Andrew Yang | SEHS | Developing a Cloud Based Artificial Intelligent Framework for Demand Side Management of Electric Vehicles’ Charging Stations Integrating Renewable Energies and Recycled Waste Batteries | 896,042 |
| Dr ZHANG Xinyan | BHM | A Real-time Collaborative Multi-agent System for High-frequency Nowcasting of Tourism Demand in Hong Kong | 460,813 |
Inter-Institutional Development Scheme (alphabetised by the surnames of the principal investigators/team leaders)
| Principal Investigator/ Team Leader | Academic Division* | Project Title | Awarded Amount (HK$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prof. CHAN Chun-kwong | SSHD | Well-being of Hong Kong Citizens under Emerging Public Policy Agendas | 362,350 |
| Dr LEE Suet-mui | BHM | Generative AI in Sustainable Marketing and Consumer Well-being: Promises, Challenges and Future Research Directions | 277,480 |
| Dr LEE Wing | SSHD | Co-Creating Assistive Robot Design to Facilitate Aging in Place | 297,444 |
| Dr WEN Zhisheng | LC | Interdisciplinary Explorations of Language Aptitude in the Digital and GenAI Era: Innovations and Opportunities | 391,100 |
| Dr WONG Helen Shun-mun | BHM | Generative Artificial Intelligence X Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) | 295,972 |
*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