Abstract
There is a widespread desire among universities to achieve a world-class status. But what does it mean to be a world-class university? CurrentLY there are a number of award-giving agencies that recognize the top universities, however, each using different criteria. While they have different set of criteria, one common factor is excellence in research. This study examined the research culture of one university in Hong Kong to determine what makes it a world-class university: The study made use of case study design, with data coming from multiple sources, including interviews with University administrators. Results indicate that this university gets much of its funding from government and external agencies and individuals that supports its teaching and research. It has a wide range of initiatives and incentives for developing centers or areas of excellence, for developing its actual and potential areas of strength, for enhancing quality and for building capacity in scholarship, for attracting fresh research talents, for paper presentations, and for recognizing outstanding research through awards and grants. It has Research Committee that handles research policy issues, mechanisms for research project selection, finding and monitoring, and development of multi-disciplinary research.