Incentive Scheme for Net-Zero Carbon Research Projects

1.  BACKGROUND

The HKSAR government pledged to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 in the 2020 Policy Address. HKUST has made a commitment to exceed that target, and to be a leader in developing research and policy expertise and solutions that will help our region achieve this ambitious carbon reduction goal. This Net-Zero Carbon Research (NZCR) scheme will provide support for the development of large-scale research projects that address net-zero carbon challenges. The scheme will be facilitated through the Sustainable Smart Campus as a Living Lab initiative (SSC).

2.  SCOPE OF THE SCHEME

The NZCR scheme comprises a total of 10 PGSs plus seed funding that can be allocated to project teams to support the development of large-scale research project proposals.  Each awarded project will receive two PGSs and up to $100K in SSC funding support for workshop-related expenses, project development costs, or travel allowance for overseas participants on a reimbursement basis. The duration of the project should not exceed 24 months.
The commitment of the award is to produce a large (at least $5 million) and impactful (deliverables that can demonstrate clean real-world positive impacts) project proposal that is submitted for consideration through the Theme-Based Research Scheme (TBRS), Green Tech Fund, or other supported research grant opportunity.  It is expected that the team will remain committed through at least two rounds of submission if not successful in the first round to the same or different funding sources.

3.  REVIEW COMMITTEE 

The review committee will be responsible for the vetting of proposals. The Committee comprises internal reviewers and external reviewers who are recognized experts in the field of study or related industries. 

4.  ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 

Once submitted, proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 
•   Relevance to and within the scope of net-zero carbon 
•   Measurable KPIs (e.g. how much carbon reduction to be achieved, impact on the society)
•   Real-world impact of implementation/ demonstration (beyond paper publication)
In addition, teams will be encouraged to also think about how they can incorporate the following into the proposals:
•   Level of engagement with the community, including outreach and educational capacity
•   Diversity and cross-disciplinary composition of the team
•   Relevance to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in addition to SDG 13 (Climate Action)

Composition of the committee:

Prof. CT CHAN, VPRDO/ HKUST

Dr. SC KIM, TTC/ HKUST

Prof. Christine LOH, ENVR/ HKUST

Dr. Jeanne NG, CLP Research Institute/ CLP Holdings Limited

5.  IMPORTANT DATES

You can contact us for inquiry at ssc@ust.hk