II. SHORT-TERM / LONG-TERM / INTERMITTENT-TERM PROGRAMMES 1. The approval of grant in support of short-term programmes rests with the respective Deans and Vice-Presidents as appropriate according to the reporting relationship of individual offices, and within the budget allocation each year made by the Staff Development Panel. As for applications for grant in support of long-term/intermittent-term programmes or extended study leave, staff members should first of all consult their Heads of Departments/Offices and Deans of Faculties/Schools or Vice- Presidents as appropriate and forward the applications to the Staff Development Panel (via the Personnel Office) for consideration. 2. Short-term Programmes a. Short-term programmes for full-time staff refer to: (i) Conference/seminar attendance for academic and equivalent administrative staff. The support given would normally cover the registration fee, plus not more than 1/2 of the estimated total cost for a staff member presenting a paper at conference/seminar; and (ii) Study programmes/courses for a period of not more than 6 months. For overseas programme, the staff member concerned should have at least two years’ service at the University. The support given would normally be not more than 2/3 or 1/2 of the tuition fees for local or overseas programmes respectively. b. Contents of the short-term programmes, conferences/ seminars should be relevant to the applicant’s job duties or teaching field. No two concurrent grants for taking more than one short-term course/subject should be given to a staff member in the same period. The University has a general policy of offering grants to support the following short-term courses: i. Chinese Language courses (either Cantonese or Putonghua) at relevant levels for one term only for non-Chinese speaking staff members; ii. English Language courses at relevant levels for up to two terms or two subjects; and iii. Putonghua course for one term only for clerical/ secretarial staff members. c. Applicants should obtain approval for leave of absence to attend short-term courses or conferences/seminars from their Head of Department/Office in accordance with established leave regulations. Applicants may apply for time off for attending day-release programmes on the understanding that arrangements should be made with their Head of Department/Office on application to make up for such time off. Classes or other duties missed, if any, should be covered. The Personnel Office should also be notified if the period of leave granted involves annual leave. d. A staff member who is offered a development grant should complete the course/conference/seminar and submit a report on completion of the programme if required by the approving authority. Should he/she resigns before the completion of the programme, he/she is required to make a full refund of the grant to the University. 3. Long-term/Intermittent-term Programme a. Long-term programmes refer to programmes/courses lasting for more than 6 months while intermittent-term programmes refer to short visits to overseas institutions in the summer for completion of a higher degree qualification. b. Long-term/intermittent-term staff development programmes demand considerable commitment from both the staff and the University in terms of time, financial resources and service periods. While the University as an educational institution would in general encourage staff to engage in developmental pursuits, consideration of financial support for such programmes would need to be carefully considered in the context of the needs of the University. Specifically, the approving authority, in granting support for such programmes, must be satisfied that: i. the programme is considered essential to a staff member whose appointment has already been confirmed/substantiated, in the discharge of his/her current work responsibilities; or ii. the programme is considered essential to a staff member whose appointment has already been confirmed/substantiated, in the discharge of his/ her future work responsibilities in which case a clear staff re-deployment plan or promotion plan must be submitted by the supervisor; or iii. the programme is considered essential to a staff member whose appointment is on fixed-term/non- substantiated contract, in which case there must be clear evidences from the Faculty/School/Office that candidates who have completed such programmes are in short supply so much so that University's support for serving staff to complete such programmes is seen by the supervisor as a better alternative than recruiting direct from the market. c. Applicants must be full-time staff of the University. For local programmes, the staff member should have a minimum of one year's service. For overseas programmes, the staff member should have at least two years' service at the University. d. Support would be provided in accordance with the following guidelines: i. Local programmes – Normally not more than 2/3 of tuition fee of the course (with 2 grants for master's degree or post-graduate diploma courses; and 3 grants for doctoral degree courses). ii. Overseas programmes * Study leave without pay (normally for 1 year) - Normally the grant will be up to HK$75,000, plus a travel allowance of HK$18,000 at the maximum (In case a second grant is approved, the amount will be not more than 1/2 of the first grant). * Intermittent programmes - Normally 2 travel grants for a master’s degree and up to 3 travel grants for a doctoral degree. * Distance learning programmes - Normally up to 1/2 of tuition fee of the programme. e. A staff member who is offered a development grant should complete the programme and submit a report on completion of the programme and progress report. For full-time/ part-time local programmes and intermittent-term and distance learning overseas programmes, he/she should return for at least 1 year's service. For 1-year study leave, he/she should return for a period of service which doubles the study leave duration stipulated in the approval letter (normally 2 years' service after 1 year's study leave and a further 1 year after a second year's leave with grant). Should he/she resigns before completion of the programme/ fails to serve the University for the specified period of time/ fails to complete the programme, he/she is required to refund in full the grant and an amount equal to all benefits accorded to the staff member and his/her dependent family during the period of absence. 4. Application for Support Staff members are advised that all applications for grant or leave for participation in short-term or long-term or intermittent term programmes must be submitted well in advance of the commencement of the programme. Requests for support and retroactive reimbursement after the commencement of programme will not be considered. Staff are also advised that applications could be processed in advance of the formal admission of institutions concerned. Detailed guidelines and application forms are obtainable from the Personnel Office. Application forms can also be downloaded from the Personnel Office Homepage at "www.hkbu.edu.hk/~pers." .