New round of applications under Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education opens

     The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (December 29) that the 2021/22 round of applications under the Enhancement and Start-up Grant Scheme for Self-financing Post-secondary Education (ESGS) is open.
 
     Launched in December 2020, the ESGS provides financial support for eligible self-financing post-secondary education institutions to develop and enhance programmes that meet market needs but require high start-up costs. It also helps alleviate the institutions' need to fully recover the set-up costs from tuition fees, thus relieving the financial burden on students.
 
     In the 2020/21 round of applications, six out of 22 applications were approved with a total grant of about $137 million. Details of the approved projects are as follows:
 

Institution Project Approved grant
(in million)
Caritas Institute of Higher Education (CIHE) CIHE Physiotherapy Integrated Clinical Education Centre 33.2
Hong Kong College of Technology Cybersecurity for the Smart Technology Era 19.4
Hong Kong Metropolitan University Establishment of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Medical Laboratory Science Programme 40.8
Hong Kong Shue Yan University Development of Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Arts, Culture and Technology Degree Programme 16.4
The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong FinTech Literacy Enhancement 19.1
UOW College Hong Kong Upgrading Teaching and Learning Facilities and Resources to Support A New Programme – Bachelor of Maritime Services and Operations Management (Hons) 8.6

  
     "The approved projects under the inaugural round of applications of the ESGS covered a wide range of sectors, including allied health, financial, art and innovative technology, as well as maritime studies, which are conducive to catering for the keen manpower demand of the relevant industries. The ESGS also aims to help institutions better develop their own strengths and niche areas, strengthening strategic co-ordination between institutions. The EDB will maintain close liaison with relevant institutions with a view to making best use of the resources of the ESGS and launching the relevant programmes as soon as practicable," a spokesman for the EDB said.
 
     Applications for the 2021/22 round are invited from now until April 20, 2022. Independent non-profit-making education institutions offering full-time locally accredited local self-financing sub-degree or undergraduate (including top-up degree) programmes are eligible to apply. These institutions include:
 

  1. Hong Kong Metropolitan University;
     
  2. approved post-secondary colleges under the Post Secondary Colleges Ordinance (Cap. 320); and
     
  3. post-secondary institutions registered under the Education Ordinance (Cap. 279).

      The ESGS covers both the development of new programmes and the enhancement of existing ones. It supports projects of the following nature, with a view to enhancing the teaching and learning in designated academic areas:
 

  1. significant development/enhancement of programme curriculum and pedagogies;
     
  2. recruitment/professional development of faculty members and teaching staff;
     
  3. procurement/upgrade of market-standard equipment/facilities to meet academic and professional requirements;
     
  4. provision of new/improvement to existing discipline-specific campus facilities/infrastructure; and
     
  5. other relevant discipline-specific expenditure areas that are in alignment with the objective of the scheme.

 
      The Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education will advise on the comparative merits of the proposals received under the ESGS, and make recommendations to the Secretary for Education. Funding for each proposal will generally be subject to a cap of $42 million. 
 
     Further details of the ESGS and the approved projects can be found at www.cspe.edu.hk/en/esgs.html.