HONG KONG, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Research Grants Council said Wednesday that 185 elite candidates from 33 countries and regions have accepted offers in the fourth round of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 2013-14.
The scheme was launched in 2009 to attract the best and brightest students from around the world to pursue their PhD studies and research in University Grants Committee-funded institutions in Hong Kong.
The eight participating institutions, including City University, Baptist University and the University of Hong Kong, nominated 442 applicants to compete for the fellowships, the council said.
Two Selection Panels, one on Science, Medicine, Engineering and Technology and the other on Humanities, Social Sciences and Business Studies, comprising overseas and local academics with excellent experience in recruiting research postgraduate students for top-notch institutions, were set up to evaluate the nominated candidates.
After a rigorous evaluation process, 210 candidates were offered a fellowship and 185 have accepted, including 103 from the mainland.