Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ) for

General Research Fund (GRF) System

 

 

A.        FAQ FOR ALL USER ROLE

Q A1.: What do I need for using the GRF system?  

Q A2.: How to login to the GRF system? (For all user roles)

Q A3.: What are the roles and corresponding functions currently provided by the GRF system?

Q A4.: Can users have multiple roles ?

Q A5.: What should I do if the welcome page is not displayed when connected to the GRF Website?

Q A6.: When I try to login to the GRF system by clicking on the GRF logo or the institutional logo, a security alert dialog box about SSL Certificate is shown.

Q A7.: What should I do after an unsuccessful login?

Q A8.: What should I do if I forget my User ID or password?

Q A9.: How to change my own password?

Q A10.: Which file format is supported by the GRF system for uploading and downloading?

Q A11.: I can view Chinese on other web sites but cannot input and view Chinese in the GRF system. Why ?

Q A12.: When I tried to view the image of the proposal, all I got was a blank screen. What should I do ?

Q A13.: How to save or print the proposal image from the system?

 

E.         FAQ FOR EXTERNAL REVIEWERS ONLY

Q E1.: How do I enter the System and read the proposal I was invited to review?

Q E2.: When an External Reviewer received an Invitation of Proposal Assessment, what should he/she do ?

Q E3.: I received a  reminder on ¡§submission of interim reply on proposal assessment¡¨ even though I had submitted my assessment earlier and I have double checked that its status is ¡§assessed¡¨. Why?

Q E4.: What if I forgot my password and/or User ID?

 

 

A.      FAQ for all user role

Q A1.: What do I need for using the GRF system?  

 

Ans.: Basically, you need a computer with an Internet connection and a supported web browser. The recommended system configurations for access to the GRF system through the Internet are as follows:

 

-               IBM compatible PC with minimum RAM of 128MB,

-               Color display with screen resolution at 800 x 640 dpi ,

:

-               Internet Explorer 5.5 / Netscape v6.0 or above,

-               Acrobat reader 5.0 or above (for viewing of PDF files) or Acrobat writer 5.0 (for uploading PDF files) or above or equivalent

 

Q A2.: How to login to the GRF system? (For all user roles)

 

Ans.: User can enter the website http://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk to access the GRF system.  This website will also be linked up from the RGC website http://www.ugc.edu.hk/RGC.   A welcome page will pop up.

 

Public users do not require any user ID and password to access the ¡¥Public Enquiry¡¦ function.   For enquiry about information on GRF-funded projects, simply click the ¡¥Search¡¦ button on the welcome page.

 

For users in UGC-funded institutions (i.e. Principal Investigators, Internal Vetting Committee Chairmen, Internal Reviewers, Institutional Approving Authorities and Research Officers), please click your Institutional Logo to enter the system. 

 

For RGC Panel Members and External Reviewers, please click the GRF logo. 

 

A login menu will pop up. Users have to enter the pre-assigned User ID and Password and to select their appropriate Roles, e.g. Panel Chairman, Panel Member, or External Reviewer, etc. for access to the GRF system.  The corresponding menu page for each user role will pop up. .

 

Q A3.: What are the roles and corresponding functions currently provided by the GRF system?

 

Ans.: The following user roles and functions are currently defined in the GRF system:


 

User Type

User Roles

Functions to access

Users in UGC-funded institutions

Principal Investigator

Prepare and submit Proposal to Internal Vetting Committee (IVC) / Research Office (RO) of his own institution.

 

 

Prepare Proposal Updates and Submit Proposal Updates to RO

 

 

Prepare Project Revision and Submit Project Revision to IVC / RO

 

 

Prepare Project Change Request and Submit Project Revision to IVC / RO

 

 

Prepare Annual Progress Report and Submit Annual Progress Report to IVC / RO

 

 

Prepare Project Completion Report and Submit Project Completion Report to IVC / RO

 

 

 

 

Research Office(RO)

Submit Proposals to RGC

 

 

Withdraw Proposals

 

 

Submit Proposal Updates to RGC

 

 

Submit Project Revision to RGC

 

 

Submit Annual Progress Report to RGC

 

 

Submit Project Change Request to RGC

 

 

Submit Project Completion Report to RGC

 

 

Submit Project Financial Report to RGC

 

 

 

 

Institution Approving Authority

Endorse Proposal for submission to RGC

 

 

 

 

Internal Reviewers

Internal Vetting /Review of Proposals

 

 

Internal Vetting /Review of Project Revision

 

 

Internal Vetting /Review of Project Change Request

 

 

Internal Vetting /Review of Annual Progress Report

 

 

Internal Vetting /Review of Project Completion Report

 

 

 

 

Internal Vetting  Committee Chairman

(1st/ 2nd/3rd Level)

Internal Vetting/ Review of Proposals

 

 

Assign Internal Vetting Reviewers to Proposals

 

 

Internal Vetting / Endorsement of Proposals

 

 

Internal Vetting /Review of Project Revision

 

 

Assign Internal Vetting Reviewers to Project Revision

 

 

Internal Vetting / Endorsement of Project Revision

 

 

Internal Vetting / Review of Project Change Request

 

 

Assign Internal Vetting Reviewers to Project Change Request

 

 

Internal Vetting / Endorsement of Project Change Request

 

 

Internal Vetting / Review of Annual Progress Report

 

 

Assign Internal Vetting Reviewers to Annual Progress Report

 

 

Internal Vetting / Endorsement of Annual Progress Report

 

 

Internal Vetting / Review of Project Completion Report

 

 

Assign Internal Vetting Reviewers to Project Completion Report

 

 

Internal Vetting / Endorsement of Project Completion Report

 

 

 

RGC panel members and reviewers

Panel Chairman

Assign Panel Members to Proposals

 

 

Nominate External Reviewer for Proposal Assessment

 

 

Submit Preliminary Assessment

 

 

Approve/Reject Project Revision

 

 

Approve/Reject Project Change Request

 

 

Review Annual Progress Report

 

 

Nominate External Reviewer for Project Assessment

 

 

Submit Final Assessment

 

 

Endorse Project Final Rating

 

 

 

 

Panel Members

Nominate External Reviewer for Proposal Assessment

 

 

Submit Preliminary Assessment

 

 

Approve/Reject Project Revision

 

 

Approve/Reject Project Change Request

 

 

Review Annual Progress Report

 

 

Nominate External Reviewer for Project Assessment

 

 

Submit Final Assessment

 

 

 

 

External Reviewers

Submit Interim Reply

 

 

Submit Proposal Assessment

 

 

Submit Project Assessment

 


Q A4.: Can users have multiple roles ?

 

Ans.: A User may be granted with one or more user roles. As the system will grant different access rights to different roles, users who are granted with multiple roles will have to determine which role he/she should use in order to access the appropriate functions.  The default user role in the login screen is ¡§Principal Investigator¡¨ and users should select the right user role by clicking on the pull-down menu before logging into the system.

 

Q A5.: What should I do if the welcome page is not displayed when connected to the GRF Website?

 

Ans.: One of the following situations may occur:

 

¡§System is under maintenance¡¨ is displayed, means the system is under maintenance and service would not be provided to the public. User can logout and wait for a moment and retry at a later time.

 

¡§The page cannot be displayed¡¨ shown on the browser when users click to the web site http://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk means there is network problem. Users may try the resilience link http://cerg2.ugc.edu.hk to access to the system.  If problems persist, please check if the network problems are caused by user¡¦s network provider or logout and retry..

 

Q A6.: When I try to login to the GRF system by clicking on the GRF logo or the institutional logo, a security alert dialog box about SSL Certificate is shown.

 

Ans.: The GRF system employs the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol to secure communication on the Internet. The SSL uses public-key technology and digital certificates to authenticate the server in a transaction and to protect information as it passes from one party to another over the Internet.  When a client sends a message to a server, the server responds and sends its digital certification for authentication.  The digital certification installed on the GRF system is issued by the local Certification Authority (CA) ¡V the  Hong Kong Post. 

 

When user logon to the GRF system by clicking on the GRF logo or the institutional logo, a pop-up window has shown on IE browser to ask for permission from end-user to install the Hong Kong Post-Office Certification. By clicking ¡§Yes¡¨ button on pop-up window, IE browser will install the Post-Office Certificate into the IE browser at this browser session only. The whole process needs to be done again when a new IE browser sessions is re-established. To install the certificate permanently into IE browser, press the ¡§View Certificate¡¨ and then press the ¡§Install Certificate¡¨ button on next pop-up window. Press the ¡§Next¡¨ button until the certificate permanently installed into your IE browser and you don¡¦t have to install the certificate again at your next Internet connection to GRF system.

 

Q A7.: What should I do after an unsuccessful login?