Research Camp Part 1 and Part 2 (April 2024)

The School of Law held two Research Camps (Part 1 and Part 2) on 9 April 2024 and 26 April 2024 respectively. The focus of these Research Camps was preparation for the RAE 2026.

In Part 1, it was our honour to invite Prof Geraint Howells (Executive Dean for Business, Public Policy and Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway), to be our esteemed guest to deliver a talk in relation to Strategies to ensure success in the RAE.

The event started with a welcome speech by Prof Howells. Making reference to the United Kingdom’s Research Excellence Framework (REF), Prof Howells highlighted the key elements and their relevance to the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) in Hong Kong.

The talk explored a range of topics, focussing in particular on the following four strategies, each of which play a significant role in conducting research in the current research environment.

• What is value for money in terms of research;
• What should a researcher should be doing;
• What is the importance of environment versus outputs; and
• How to ensure and measure impact.

Lastly, Prof Howells shared some insights and ideas with the junior colleagues. He encouraged colleagues to develop a clear and coherent research plan. He also emphasised the importance of engaging young scholars to develop and sustain a vibrant research environment, which can help ensure success in the RAE exercise.

Part 2 of the Research Camp came in the form of various presentations and discussions.

For an update on progress on the RAE exercise and strategies to ensure success, we were delighted to invite the Research Grants and Contracts Office (RO) to talk to the School of Law. They gave valuable presentations on the following matters:

• Update on the RAE 2026 preparation progress, specifically in relation to the School of Law
• Strategies for improving the rate of citation
• Exploration of research funding opportunities in the field of law
• Demonstration of the features and utility of SciVal

In addition, there were presentations from members of the School of Law in relation to the RAE mock exercise, funding, and collaboration opportunities. These presentations were as follows (according to the order of presentation):

• Selecting and uploading outputs for the RAE Mock Exercise
  (Prof Thomas Crofts)
• Applying for research funding: A Sharing Session from School of Law colleagues
  (Prof Fang Meng Mandy & Prof Michael Tsimplis)
• Update on collaboration opportunities from the Centre for Public Affairs and Law (CPAL), Technology, Policy and Law Lab (TPL Lab) and Social Resilience and Public Law Lab (SRPL Lab)
  (Prof Virginia Harper Ho and members of CPAL, TPL Lab and SPRL Lab)

The day ended with the Outstanding Research Awards 2023 Presentation Ceremony. From a strong field of high quality publications, Prof Liu Qiao’s and Prof Yu Chen’s journal articles particularly stood out. We sincerely congratulate them on their outstanding research achievements.

Prof Liu Qiao (Left) and Prof Thomas Crofts

Prof Yu Chen (Left) and Prof Lin Feng

We congratulate Prof Liu Qiao and Prof Yu Chen on their research awards!

We also thank all colleagues who attended, contributed to, and presented at the Research Camps and helped ensure the success of both events.