Information and networking session
Please join us for an online information and networking session to launch the joint City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and the University of Waterloo Seed Fund, introduce the scheme and explore mapping opportunities between the two institutions.
Details
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Time: 8:30–10 a.m. (ET; Waterloo); 9:30–11 p.m. (Hong Kong)
Agenda
- Introduction of the Seed Fund scheme and other funding opportunities
- Self-introductions from participating faculty
- Discussion of potential collaborative opportunities
We warmly invite researchers from both institutions with interests in health and life science technologies to join this session and help shape the future of this collaboration.
If you are unable to join the networking session and require support in finding partners, please email us and we will work with our counterparts to identify potential collaborators. If you have any questions about the Seed Fund or the upcoming session, please contact:
- Waterloo: partnerships@uwaterloo.ca
- CityUHK: roger@cityu.edu.hk
Register below to join the information and networking session.
About the Seed Fund
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and the University of Waterloo, in partnership with the Faculty of Health and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN), are launching a new initiative — the Joint CityUHK–UW Seed Fund — to foster collaborative research in the field of health and life science technologies, aligning with Health and Technological Futures. This Seed Fund aims to promote mobility and exchange of academic staff between the universities, helping to build a strong institutional track record for future major research platform funding programmes. A maximum of five projects will be awarded. The call for proposals will be open until Friday, January 23, 2026. Projects must be completed by Wednesday, March 31, 2027.
Grant amount
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The maximum funding request per proposal is up to HK$100,000 + CAD$26,000 per collaborative pair, where a maximum of CAD $26,000 will be awarded if the Waterloo Principle Investigator (PI) is a member of the Faculty of Health or WIN, and a maximum of CAD $16,000 will be awarded to other Waterloo PIs. A maximum of five projects will be awarded. Projects must be completed by Wednesday, March 31, 2027.
Eligibility
- Waterloo and CityUHK PI applicants must be full-time, regular tenure-track or tenured faculty members. At Waterloo, preference will be given to Faculty of Health faculty members or WIN faculty members. Adjunct and definite-term faculty members at Waterloo can be included as co-applicants. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will be considered as project trainees.
- Each proposal must have at least one PI from CityUHK and one from Waterloo.
- Projects must include trainee mobility.
- Projects must be related to health and life science technologies.
- Preferred themes:
- drug discovery, therapeutics, diagnosis, and theranostics
- technology for aging
- Preferred themes:
Funding scope
Support is primarily provided for mobility and exchange activities, including:
- Short-term academic visits
- Preliminary data collection or pilot studies
- Collaborative planning meetings
- Joint workshops or seminars
Application process
This call for proposals opens December 16, 2025. Proposals must be electronically submitted using the OSJ Grant Portal Submission System by 11:59 p.m. ET on January 23, 2026. To submit a proposal, one of the lead PIs must first be registered on the Portal. If the PI does not have a user account, register through the OSJ Grant Portal (one registration per proposal). Late submissions will not be accepted. There will be a networking event on Tuesday, December 16, 2025. PIs will receive written notice of the funding decision by March 2026.
The electronic proposal submission process:
- Register an account as the lead PI
- Log in to user account (*if PI already has a user account created for another Waterloo grant in the OJS Grant Portal System, email partnerships@uwaterloo.ca)
- Start a new proposal
- Download Cover Sheet and Proposal templates
- Complete the templates and upload the required files here: Joint CityUKH-UW Seed Fund
- Each application package must include (in this order):
- Cover Page;
- Main Proposal (maximum four pages);
- Short CV for the two Lead PIs (at Waterloo and the CityUHK) (max two pages each). Include activities within the last five years.
- Proposal documents are to be submitted in word or pdf format.
- Submit your proposal
- Acknowledgement of receipt by grant team
General questions / comments / support in partnership development should be directed to partnerships@uwaterloo.ca or roger@cityu.edu.hk.
Review the evaluation criteria below for the key elements of a successful project.
Proposal Requirements
Use the Application form. The proposal must be a maximum of four pages is allowed for sections 1–5, including tables, charts, graphs, diagrams and illustrations. There is no page limit for project references. Use language that can be understood by a multidisciplinary review panel. Provide a short CV for the two Lead PIs (at Waterloo and the CityUHK) (max two pages each). Include activities within the last five years.
Note that:
- Pages must be 8 1/2" x 11" (216 mm x 279 mm)
- All text must use the 11-point Arial font; no condensed fonts
- Text must be single-spaced, with no more than six lines per inch
- All page margins must be set at a minimum of 0.75” (1.87 cm)
Review criteria
- Significance of partnership to health and life science research
- Strength of collaboration between CityUHK and Waterloo
- Potential for long-term impact and follow-on funding opportunities
Reporting requirements
- A brief final report is required upon project completion, summarizing activities, outcomes, and future plans.
- Report submission deadline: Wednesday, June 30, 2027, 11:59 p.m. ET (Canada)
Registration form
