Hong Kong quality education support scheme opens new round of applications
Hong Kong's quality enhancement support scheme for self-financing tertiary education has opened a new round of applications. It offers three project streams: thematic, general and work placement, open to non-profit institutions. The scheme has funded over 130 projects since 2012, allocating about HK
The Hong Kong SAR government has announced that the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme for Self-financing Tertiary Education is now accepting a new round of applications. The scheme is a key support measure to promote stable and sustainable development in the self-financing tertiary education sector, aiming to improve teaching and learning quality.
Three project streams are available under the scheme. The thematic stream allows applicants to set their own project topics and requires collaboration among multiple eligible institutions to foster closer cooperation and synergy. The general stream covers four main areas: improving students' overall learning experience and language ability; developing teaching methods and assessment strategies; enhancing quality assurance measures; and strengthening student support and career counselling, including for non-Chinese-speaking students and those with special educational needs.
The work placement stream focuses on integrating quality-assured workplace learning into curricula through close industry collaboration, helping students find local or overseas internships, and organising related visits or short training courses. All non-profit institutions offering full-time locally accredited self-financing sub-degree or bachelor's degree programmes, including top-up degrees, are eligible. Other related organisations, such as associations of these institutions and quality assurance bodies, may also apply.
Applications will be reviewed by the Support Measures Subcommittee under the Self-financing Tertiary Education Committee. Since its launch in 2012, the scheme has approved over 130 projects with total funding of approximately HK$478 million. In the 2025/26 academic year, 30 applications were received, of which seven were approved for about HK$23 million. Approved projects included developing an AI-assisted Cantonese listening and speaking learning tool, building an AI platform for authentic assessment, establishing a knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship centre focused on humanities, arts and social sciences, promoting value and ethics education through Chinese culture activities, creating an AI-assisted virtual reality interactive nasogastric tube training system, building a virtual reality learning platform for immersive laboratory emergency training, and setting up an office for cross-cultural education and industry innovation.
Details of the scheme, including application areas and procedures, are available on the Self-financing Tertiary Education Information Platform (www.cspe.edu.hk/tc/qess-project.html).