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The Council for Sustainable Development is again inviting applications from groups and individuals for grants to undertake projects that will raise public awareness of sustainable development and promote sustainable practices in Hong Kong.

Chair of the council's Education and Publicity Sub-committee Ms Christine Fang said about $7.25 million had been earmarked for this second round of funding for sustainable development projects in the community.

Speaking at a workshop for the launch of this round of funding this morning (June 29), Ms Fang added that priority would normally be given to projects that were likely to make a noticeable impact on the general public's awareness of sustainability.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Government's Sustainable Development Unit (SDU), which administers the fund, said that application guidelines and forms had been revised and refined to give applicants clearer guidance on the submission of applications.

"A set of pricing standards, setting limits for the budget cost of certain items of equipment and appropriate salaries for project staff, now forms part of the application guidelines. This will help applicants in drawing up detailed budgets for their proposals," the spokesman added.

Details of the application guidelines and application forms can be downloaded from www.susdev.gov.hk. Applicants are encouraged to submit applications online.

Enquiries about the fund can be made to SDU on 3150 8192 or by e-mail to sdf@sdu.gov.hk. The deadline for submitting applications is 5pm on September 30, 2004.

This morning's workshop was held to provide information on the fund's application and assessments procedures. More than 80 representatives from more than 50 organisations attended the session.

The first round of applications was called for in September last year, with 127 applications received by the December deadline. A total of eight projects were approved at a cost of $7.75 million.

Ends/Tuesday, June 29, 2004

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