Filter by axis — or read top to bottom.
1 · The Signal-Processing Professor
Your data needs specialist analysis that RAs rarely have and off-the-shelf tools can't run.
analysis-heavyfull labmid AI literacyhands-off
The painEEG, speech and eye-tracking analysis is specialist work. RAs collect the data but can't run the pipelines — and every analysis quietly becomes your weekend project.
What we'd ship- Full ERP pipeline — filtering, epoching, ICA, component contrasts (prototype on tutorial data; build scope on your recordings)
- Child-Cantonese ASR with error-preservation analysis for speech-disorder tracking
- Eye-tracking reading measures — FFD, gaze, go-past; mixed models scoped as a build deliverable
What you getPublication-defensible results in days, with verification — and you keep the whole pipeline (script, data, report) so your lab can re-run anything later.
Cost anchorA postdoc with this skill set costs far more per month and leaves at contract end. Fixed-fee deliverable from US$2,600 (≈ HK$20,000), funded from your grant.
Best next step: a scoping call to quote the deliverable — from US$2,600 (≈ HK$20,000).
Illustrative — figures traceable to demos or price list.
2 · The Pipeline-Builder
Your grant pays for data. Your students can collect it. Nobody can run the analysis but you.
analysis-heavyshared RAdabblermid involvement
The painThe GRF-funded project is moving, but postgraduates can build a questionnaire, not run the analysis. Every results section funnels through you.
What we'd ship- Trial on your published data — from US$1,000 (≈ HK$8,000), free if not useful
- Full pipeline on current data, with handover docs written for a “kind-of-knows” RA
- Research retainer for upkeep, routine analysis, and a named monthly scope
What you getAfter handover, your RA runs the pipeline and you judge the output. Scripts and docs stay with the lab.
Cost anchorOne deliverable from US$2,600 (≈ HK$20,000) is less than one month of a postdoc — and it stays.
Best next step: the trial on your own published numbers — from US$1,000 (≈ HK$8,000), free if not useful.
Illustrative — figures traceable to demos or price list.
3 · The Solo Professor
No students, no RA — the literature, the dataset and the draft are all yours.
writing-heavysolobeginner–dabblerhands-off
The painNo team to absorb the labour: every literature review, dataset clean-up and revision lands on your desk. Small-grant budgets don't stretch to an RA for one project.
What we'd ship- Literature matrix from your reading list — reliability-checked (κ 0.76–0.88)
- Small analysis — survey, scale validation, or experiment dataset
- Bilingual questionnaire with back-translation checked against published Chinese
What you getWeeks back, and you keep everything — matrix, scripts, report — documented for a colleague.
Cost anchorAn RA costs far more per month and can't build the pipeline; one small deliverable from US$2,600 (≈ HK$20,000).
Best next step: try one piece on your own material — from US$1,000 (≈ HK$8,000), free if not useful.
Illustrative — figures traceable to demos or price list.
4 · The Grant Sprint
Deadline in six weeks. The literature review alone would take three.
writing-heavyany teamdabblerhands-off
The painProposal season: matrix, gap narrative, budget and criteria alignment must exist before the science gets written — and that eats the weeks.
What we'd ship- Literature matrix — design, sample, measures, findings per paper
- Gap-analysis narrative for your intro and objectives
- Proposal package scored against official RGC criteria, with reviewer simulation
What you getA submission that has survived a mock panel — criteria alignment checked line by line.
Cost anchorTrial from US$1,000 (≈ HK$8,000); full package from US$2,600 (≈ HK$20,000) — grant-claimable if it lands.
Best next step: a scoping call now, before the deadline crunch.
Illustrative — figures traceable to demos or price list.
5 · The Lab Director
Your RA just graduated — and the pipeline knowledge went with them.
analysis-heavyfull labbuilderhands-off
The painEvery contract end resets the lab's analysis capacity — the accumulated “how this project actually runs” walks out the door.
What we'd ship- Production pipelines plus documentation any RA can run
- 6-month research retainer — rate locked, aligned to the grant cycle
- Monthly queue: upkeep, routine analysis, summaries, and a month-end report
What you getAnalysis capacity stops resetting at every departure. New RAs ramp in days, not months.
Cost anchorOne departing RA's knowledge is worth more than the whole retainer (from US$1,300/mo (≈ HK$10,000/mo)).
Best next step: quote the pipeline build plus the 6-month retainer.
Illustrative — figures traceable to demos or price list.
6 · The Qualitative Researcher
Eight hundred pages of transcripts. One coder. One deadline.
qualitativeshared RAdabblermid involvement
The painCoding is months of work, and reviewers want inter-rater agreement a single coder can't produce.
What we'd ship- LLM-assisted coding with reliability check — κ 0.81 / 93% agreement
- Verifiable reason for every code; codebook yours to keep
What you getDefensible coding plus inter-rater numbers, in days instead of months.
Cost anchorA month of RA time versus a trial from US$1,000 (≈ HK$8,000).
Best next step: the trial on your own transcripts — free if not useful.
Illustrative — figures traceable to demos or price list.
7 · The Admin-Drowned
Your inbox is a second job — and your grant doesn't pay for it.
admin-heavyany teambeginnerhands-off
The painEmail triage, ethics paperwork, scheduling, formatting: days a week of invisible labour no grant line was written for.
What we'd ship- Admin agent: 15–30 minute walkthrough, then a two-week free pilot
- Setup plus light retainer (from US$640/mo (≈ HK$5,000/mo)): inbox triage, drafting, scheduling, forms
- Escalation rules on day one — it drafts, you approve, nothing sends itself
What you getAdmin hours back, with everything verifiable before anything goes out.
Cost anchorA few hours of your week at your own loaded cost is more than the monthly fee.
Best next step: the free two-week pilot.
This is a separate offer from the research pipelines — one conversation at a time.
Illustrative — figures traceable to demos or price list.
8 · The Teaching-Plus Professor
Your teaching load is fixed; your research time is what shrinks.
teaching+researchsolobeginnerhands-on
The painDecks, materials and assessment design eat the semester; research gets the leftovers.
What we'd ship- Teaching modernization: course decks rebuilt, gap-checked against the curriculum
- Small research one-offs — lit matrix, scale, dataset analysis
What you getSemester materials updated in days, plus research one-offs from US$2,600 (≈ HK$20,000) that TDG can carry.
Cost anchorTDG-style funding exists precisely for this class of work — a claimable line, not a personal cost.
Best next step: quote the deck project; mention the research one-offs.
Illustrative — figures traceable to demos or price list.
Not sure which one you are?
Most academics are two at once — the right entry depends on what's on your desk this quarter.
Best next step: email with a paper or deadline.