The Hongwen Education Research and Development Center (HERDC) officially announced the 2025 project approval list on May 18, 2025. Following rigorous administrative review and peer expert evaluation, a total of 42 projects received funding approval this year, comprising 8 Key Projects, 22 General Projects, and 12 Young Scholar Projects.

Since the call for applications opened in January, a total of 218 valid applications were received, representing a 17% increase over the previous year. Applicants hailed from 11 countries and regions, spanning multiple disciplines including education, literature, arts, history, philosophy, and communication studies.

Application Trend Analysis

The HERDC Project Management Department conducted a systematic analysis of this year's applications, identifying the following notable characteristics:

First, a significant increase in projects related to educational equity and quality assurance. Driven by education reforms across multiple Asia-Pacific countries, applications in areas such as educational equity, educational assessment, and teacher development grew markedly compared to prior years, reflecting the education community's urgent attention to educational quality improvement. Applications in this category came predominantly from developing countries and regions, indicating the growing importance of educational equity as a topic in Asia-Pacific education research.

Second, an increased proportion of interdisciplinary integration projects. Cross-field applications spanning arts-education intersections, culture-technology integration, and tradition-contemporary dialogue accounted for nearly a quarter of total applications, indicating that researchers are increasingly inclined to examine educational and cultural issues from interdisciplinary perspectives. This trend aligns closely with the interdisciplinary integration philosophy that the Society has championed in recent years.

Third, intense competition for Young Scholar Projects. This year's Young Scholar Projects received 63 applications, with 12 ultimately approved — a competition ratio of approximately 5:1. Both the novelty of research topics and the rigour of methodology demonstrated by applicants showed improvement over previous years, reflecting the continuously growing academic capacity of the young scholar community. Multiple review experts noted that the innovative awareness and interdisciplinary vision displayed by young scholars were impressive.

Key Project Directions

The 8 Key Projects approved this year cover the following research directions:

• Comparative study of basic education curriculum reform across the Asia-Pacific
• Paradigm transformation of humanities education in the context of AI
• Evolution and development of Chinese language education policy in Southeast Asia
• Research on digital preservation standards for traditional cultural heritage
• Effectiveness assessment of arts education in social-emotional learning
• Coordinated development of cultural and creative industries and higher education in the Greater Bay Area
• Cross-cultural perspectives on teacher professional identity
• Constructing a theoretical framework for Asian contemporary art criticism

These Key Projects focus on major issues in Asia-Pacific education, culture, and arts, demonstrating strong academic frontier significance and practical guidance value. Each Key Project is undertaken by a research team of no fewer than 3 members, with a project duration of 2 years and funding of HKD 80,000 to 150,000.

General Projects and Young Scholar Projects

The 22 General Projects span multiple disciplines including education, curriculum studies, cultural studies, art theory, literary criticism, and communication studies. These projects address specific educational and cultural issues with diverse research directions, encompassing both theoretical exploration and practical case studies. General Projects receive funding of HKD 30,000 to 60,000 with a project duration of 1 to 2 years.

The 12 Young Scholar Projects showcase the academic concerns and research capabilities of the new generation of researchers. Topics cover cutting-edge directions including digital media and arts education, community cultural placemaking, online education equity, and intangible heritage education transmission. Young Scholar Projects receive funding of HKD 15,000 to 30,000 with a project duration of 1 year.

Next Steps

All approved project principal investigators will sign project assignment letters with HERDC by the end of June to formally commence their research work. Project approval notices have been uniformly issued by HCADS and sent to each principal investigator.

The HERDC Director stated that since the Center launched project funding in 2021, it has managed over 180 projects cumulatively, with an outstanding completion rate stable at around 34%. The Center will continue to uphold the principle of prioritizing academic quality, steadily improving project management mechanisms, and providing better support for academic research in education, culture, and arts.

The HERDC Project Management Department reminds interested parties that the 2026 project application process will open in January 2026. Society members intending to apply are encouraged to watch for the application guidelines to be published on the Society's official website and prepare their applications in advance.