Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) 2026/27
A project led by Prof Jianping Wang has been awarded the Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) 2026/27. The project, titled SynapseCity: AI Driven Urban Emergency Response and Rescue, has secured HK$55.69 million in funding.
TRS is a funding programme of the Research Grants Council (RGC) that aims to focus academic research efforts of UGC-funded universities on themes of strategic importance to the long-term development of Hong Kong. Proposals are assessed on academic excellence, including qualification as world-leading by international standards, impact to Hong Kong, the credentials of the project team, the existence of a clear strategy, and a sound structure for an excellent research project. Projects may receive up to HK$75 million in direct project costs over a maximum duration of five years. This year, the RGC approved 8 projects.
Prof Junhui Hou Awarded RGC Research Fellowship for 2026/27
Prof. Junhui Hou has been awarded the RGC Research Fellowship 2026/27 for his project titled “Neural Spatial Computing: Geometric Modeling, Representation Learning, and Applications”.
The RGC Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) aims to provide sustained research support, together with relief from teaching and administrative duties, for outstanding scholars in UGC-funded universities in Hong Kong.
In this round, the Research Grants Council approved 11 Research Fellowship awards. Each awardee is conferred the title of “RGC Research Fellow” and receives research funding of approximately HK$5.6 million to support their work over a five-year period.
Evolutionary Computation Pioneer Award 2027
Prof Qingfu Zhang has been honored by the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society (CIS) with the Evolutionary Computation Pioneer Award 2027 in recognition of his contributions to the foundations of evolutionary multiobjective optimization. This prestigious award, one of the highest honors in the field, is presented to researchers whose work has fundamentally shaped the direction and development of evolutionary computation.
Among Prof Zhang's most influential contributions is MOEA/D, one of the most cited, studied, and widely adopted algorithmic frameworks in the history of evolutionary computation. It has inspired extensive follow-up research, led to numerous variants and extensions, and established a basic methodology for multiobjective optimization. Today, it is widely taught in graduate courses worldwide and has been successfully applied across a broad range of domains.
Prof Yuguang Fang Appointed Editor-in-Chief of IEEE TMLCN
Prof Yuguang “Michael” Fang was appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of IEEE Transactions on Machine Learning for Communications and Networking (IEEE TMLCN), effective 1 July 2026. IEEE TMLCN is a multidisciplinary journal that publishes papers on advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence methodologies, as well as their applications to challenges spanning all areas of communications and networking.
Prof Fang has been an active contributor to the IEEE community. He is an IEEE Fellow and has held several distinguished leadership roles, including Member-at-Large of IEEE Communications Society (2022-2024, 2026-2028), Director of Magazines of IEEE Communications Society, Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (2013 – 2017), and Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Wireless Communications (2009 – 2012), and won several IEEE awards including IEEE Vehicular Technology Society’s Outstanding Service Award (2018) and IEEE Communications Society’s technical achievement awards (WTC Recognition Award, CISTC Technical Cognition Award, and AHSN Technical Achievement Award), among many other notable distinctions. He is also a fellow of ACM and AAAS.