BUS News

HKBU School of Business is proud to announce that three faculty members have successfully secured a total of RMB 1.1 million in funding from the highly competitive National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for 2026. This achievement — comprising two General Project grants and one Young Scientists Fund grant — underscores the School’s growing strength in pioneering research that addresses critical business and societal challenges.

The NSFC is a key national funding body known for its rigorous peer‑review process. Securing these grants reflects the faculty's capacity for innovative, high-quality research.

The funded projects are as follows:

NSFC General Project

• Professor Deng Honglin, Associate Professor, Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems (MMIS)

Management of Subjective AI-Generated Content: A User Suspicion Perspective (主观性人工智能生成內容管理:基于用户疑虑心理视角)

The project investigates how users form suspicions about AI‑generated content such as creative images and videos, and how platforms can address these concerns. It will develop a multidimensional account of user suspicion, build an AI‑based quality assessment model (SAIA), and test transparency strategies. The findings aim to strengthen platform governance and improve user trust in AI content. Professor Zhao Liang of the same department is a collaborator of the project.

• Professor Yuan Peixuan, Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy, Economics and Finance (AEF)

High-Dimensional Big Data and Binary Nonlinear Mechanisms in AssetPricing: Factor Identification, Risk Management, and State-Dependent Investment Strategies (基于高维大数据与“二元非线性”机制的资产定价因子动态识别、风险管理与状态依存型投资策略研究)

This research tackles why established investment factors often fail outside historical samples. Using high‑dimensional financial data and sparse machine‑learning methods, the project identifies when factors switch between “power‑on” and “power‑off” states, and explain the economic forces behind these transitions. The analysis spans U.S. equity and bond markets and China’s A‑share market, with the goal of improving portfolio risk management and systemic‑risk monitoring. Professor Wang Liyao of the same department is a collaborator of the research.

NSFC Young Scientists Fund

• Dr Song Qingping, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems (MMIS)

Customer Risk Preference Identification and Investment Portfolio Adjustment Mechanisms in a Digital Finance Environment (数字金融环境下顾客风险偏好识别与投资组合调整机制研究)

The project examines how investors make risk‑related decisions in digital wealth management. Using machine learning and behavioural data, it explores the dynamic relationships among risk preferences, information search, and portfolio adjustments. The study aims to deepen understanding of investor behaviour in digital contexts and inform the responsible design of AI‑enabled financial tools.

The School congratulates Professor Deng, Professor Yuan, and Dr Song on this distinguished recognition and looks forward to the impactful contributions their research will bring.