Secretary for Health Prof Lo Chung-mau said the Health & Medical Research Fund (HMRF) is highly effective in promoting the translation of academic research into practical applications.

Prof Lo chaired the 29th meeting of the Research Council (RC) under the Health Bureau today to review the research translation outcome of the HMRF and discuss its new research translation strategy.

As revealed from the surveys conducted on 124 research projects this year, close to 70% of the funded projects had their research findings published in peer-reviewed journals, showcasing that the HMRF is effective in supporting knowledge generation.

Meanwhile, 40% of the funded projects received additional funding support from the HMRF and other funding sources for subsequent research, with each project receiving an additional funding amounting to seven times that of the original HMRF grant on average.

There are also examples of applications in the formulation of healthcare policies and practices.

Prof Lo was glad to see that HMRF-funded research projects not only brought a positive influence on healthcare policies and practices, but also supported researchers in generating new knowledge in the biomedical and healthcare realm to promote medical advancement.

He pointed out that a number of HMRF-funded projects have successfully secured additional funding for subsequent research, enabling further development and translation of their findings.

“These fruitful results demonstrate that the HMRF is highly effective in promoting the translation of academic research into practical applications.”

The Government will continue to foster scientific research and innovation in healthcare through the HMRF, as well as support high-quality scientific research and innovative projects that demonstrate clear translational potential.

It will also develop new quality productive forces in the field of health and medical research, including capabilities in clinical trials and new drug development, with a view to developing Hong Kong into an international health and medical innovation hub, Prof Lo added.

At the meeting, the RC also endorsed the HMRF’s new research translation strategy which covers four priorities - to shape research translation culture, to build quality partnership, to promote end-of-grant translation and to monitor and evaluate research outcomes.

During the meeting, the RC also considered the funding applications for investigator-initiated research projects under the HMRF received from last December to March this year and endorsed a funding commitment of $219 million involving 205 projects.