Fifteen Chinese postgraduates and doctors, including four from Hong Kong universities, were awarded Tencent Project Up scholarships on Friday for their outstanding contributions to scientific and technological research in artificial intelligence (AI).

Launched by Shenzhen-based internet giant Tencent, the scholarship is an initiative aimed at backing young talents and scientific research. The winners were each given a total of 500,000 yuan ($71,960) in incentives, made up of 200,000 yuan in cash and 300,000 yuan worth of cloud heterogeneous computing resources.

Three students from the University of Hong Kong and one from the Chinese University of Hong Kong won scholarships. Others came from prestigious universities on the Chinese mainland, including Tsinghua University, Peking University and Renmin University of China.

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“We hope to encourage young researchers to explore the unknown, be innovative and pursue those bold, frontier research directions with long-term impact,” said Xi Dan, senior vice-president and chief talent officer of Tencent.

Since its launch in October, the project has received nearly 400 applications nationwide. The 15 winners excel in computer science, AI and related interdisciplinary areas, with remarkable research capabilities and academic achievements.

Li Lei, a doctoral student at the University of Hong Kong, said he plans to use the incentive to further his research.

“We have frequent needs to attend professional conferences, which incur relatively high travel expenses. Although the university provides us with support, there are certain limits on the quantity and amount,” he said.

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“With this award, I will have more options to participate in top international conferences.”

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com