Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year
The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, today (April 24) presented certificates to awardees under the HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund (GSF) and the Self-financing Post-secondary Education Fund (SPEF) for the 2024/25 academic year at the GSF and SPEF Joint Scholarship Presentation Ceremony 2025.
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Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 meritorious post-secondary students received scholarships and awards, amounting to about $196 million in total. Both the GSF and the SPEF also give recognition to meritorious post-secondary students with special educational needs (SEN) through the Endeavour Merit Award and the Endeavour Scholarship. This year, a total of around 600 SEN students were given the awards/scholarships.
Dr Choi said that the two scholarship schemes have successfully attracted outstanding non-local students to pursue their studies in Hong Kong by commending those with excellent performance in various aspects, thereby enhancing the city's position as an international hub for post-secondary education. To tie in with the overall national development, the Education Bureau will adhere to the principle of integrity and innovation, and seize the development opportunities arising from the country's Belt and Road initiatives, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, etc, to deepen Hong Kong's role as a cluster of talent, and to consolidate and develop Hong Kong's advantages in education.
The GSF was established in 2008 to attract outstanding local students to advance their studies at home, and meritorious non-local students to pursue higher education opportunities in Hong Kong. There are five types of scholarships and awards under the GSF, namely Scholarships for Outstanding Performance, Belt and Road (B&R) Scholarship, Talent Development Scholarship, Reaching Out Award and Endeavour Merit Award. Scholarships and awards are offered to students studying full-time publicly funded sub-degree, undergraduate-level and above programmes in Hong Kong. In the 2024/25 academic year, about 2 000 students received the scholarships/awards, including about 1 200 local students and about 800 non-local students. In terms of levels of study, about 1 400 students were at the undergraduate level and above, while about 600 students were at the sub-degree level.
In addition, the B&R Scholarship was introduced to encourage students from B&R countries/regions to pursue studies in Hong Kong. In the 2024/25 academic year, 150 students from 31 B&R countries/regions have been awarded this scholarship for the first time.
The Self-financing Post-secondary Scholarship Scheme (SPSS) was established under the SPEF in 2011 to promote the quality and sustainable development of the self-financing post-secondary sector. There are five types of scholarships and awards under the scheme, namely Outstanding Performance Scholarship, Best Progress Award, Talent Development Scholarship, Reaching Out Award and Endeavour Scholarship. These scholarships and awards are offered to students pursuing full-time locally accredited self-financing sub-degree or undergraduate programmes. In the 2024/25 academic year, the SPEF offered scholarships and awards to about 4 000 local and about 400 non-local students. In terms of levels of study, about 2 400 of them pursued undergraduate studies, while about 2 000 students were at the sub-degree level.
A list of participating institutions is in Annex I. A broad distribution of the scholarship recipients is set out in Annex II. Details of the scholarships and awards under the GSF are available on the Education Bureau's website (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/postsecondary/local-higher-edu/publicly-funded-programmes/scholarship.html). Those under the SPSS as well as the SPEF are available on the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education's website (www.cspe.edu.hk/en/index.html).
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Over 6 400 outstanding students awarded government scholarships in 2024/25 academic year Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Speech by CS at Nobel Heroes Forum: Shaping Science and Future
Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the Nobel Heroes Forum: Shaping Science and Future today (January 12):
Dr Wong (Chairman of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Council, Dr Peter Wong), Professor Zhang (President and Vice-Chancellor of the HKU, Professor Zhang Xiang), Mr Turner (Executive Director of Foundation Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, Mr Nikolaus Turner), distinguished Nobel Laureates, esteemed scientists,ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning. It is my great pleasure to join you today for the Nobel Heroes Forum: Shaping Science and Future.
To our Nobel Laureates – we are truly privileged to have you with us. You represent the very best of human curiosity and perseverance. Your ground-breaking work expands our understanding of the universe, lights the path for future discovery, and inspires generations. Thank you for joining this extraordinary gathering.
And to all our distinguished guests from around the world – a very warm welcome to Hong Kong.
Today's dialogue is more than an academic event. It is a powerful convergence of the world's finest scientific minds, right here in a city that is determined to play its part in global innovation.
Hong Kong's mission is clear and unwavering: to become a premier international innovation and technology centre. A hub where top scientists, scholars and entrepreneurs can thrive, collaborate and serve the world.
To achieve this, the Government is fully committed. We are building a world-class ecosystem and nurturing the talent to power it.
First, we are building the infrastructure for greatness.
We have established a strategic I&T framework centred on three major I&T (innovation and technology) parks and five key research and development institutions.
Building on the success of the Science Park and Cyberport, we officially launched the Hong Kong Park of the Hetao Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Co-operation Zone last month.
The Hetao Co-operation Zone is a major co-operation platform in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. The Hong Kong Park is envisioned as a world-class hub for technological innovation, connecting the Chinese Mainland with the international community, and serving as an important source for fostering new quality productive forces.
Together with our five key R&D (research and development) institutions focus on frontier technologies, these developments will create more favourable conditions for Hong Kong to attract global I&T resources and talent.
Second, we are investing decisively.
We back our words with resources. We have launched significant funding schemes across the entire innovation chain.
To support excellent and impactful research, the Research Grants Council (RGC) under the University Grants Committee administers more than 20 competitive research grant and fellowship schemes.
Furthermore, last year we launched the 3 billion HK dollars Frontier Technology Research Support Scheme to empower ground-breaking basic research led by world-class researchers and academics.
To accelerate the midstream and downstream development, we rolled out three separate 10 billion HK dollars initiatives to drive the commercialisation of R&D outcomes and new industrialisation.
Third, and most crucially, we are nurturing and attracting top talent.
Talent is our ultimate driving force. We are expanding our talent pool through multiple strategies.
On nurturing young research talent, the Government has launched the Young Collaborative Research Grant to support early-stage researchers in leading and managing collaborative research. We are also actively fostering research collaboration between Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and overseas research funding agencies through operating various Joint Research Schemes. These partnerships not only foster academic exchange but also provide opportunities to nurture researchers in exploring new frontiers in their respective fields.
On attracting global talent, the RGC Junior Research Fellow Scheme has supported some 300 doctoral graduates from Hong Kong and around the world to pursue research careers at our universities.
Our international research flagship, the InnoHK research clusters, is also there to bring together brilliant minds from all over the world to conduct world-class scientific research. To date, our two existing InnoHK research clusters – one focusing on healthcare technology and another on AI and robotics – have successfully built links with over 30 world-class universities and research institutes from 12 economies, pooling together around 3 000 researchers locally and across the globe.
To go further, the Government is now expediting the development of the third InnoHK research cluster, with the focus on sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing and materials.
Our strategy follows a powerful cycle: promoting technology with talent, leading industries with technology, and attracting talent with industries.
And we are seeing results. Hong Kong ranks third globally in "Technology" in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking. The Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou cluster ranks first in the 2025 Global Innovation Index Ranking of the World's Top 100 innovation clusters.
Our startup community has grown nearly fivefold in the past decade, producing homegrown unicorns.
This progress is no accident. It is built on Hong Kong's unique strengths. Under "one country, two systems", we enjoy unwavering national support and unparalleled global connectivity. Our robust rule of law, free-flowing capital and vibrant multicultural society make Hong Kong the perfect incubator for scientific exploration and technological breakthroughs.
To every scientist, researcher and innovator here today: Hong Kong is open for you. We provide the platform, the funding, the freedom and the connections to turn visionary ideas into reality.
We invite you to build your legacy here. To join us in shaping not just the future of Hong Kong, but the future of science for humanity.
On this note, let the dialogue begin. I look forward to the fruitful and inspirational exchanges. Thank you.
Source: AI-found images
