(Yicai) Jan. 8 -- Recent updates to the National Natural Science Foundation of China’s regulations, effective Jan. 1, will pave the way for more original scientific projects to be funded and diversify sources of funding among other measures designed to ensure the country remains at the frontiers of scientific research, experts said.

The revised regulations have added provisions for original and interdisciplinary innovative projects, which will allow the foundation to formulate special rules on the application for and review of these projects, Lv Wei, researcher at the State Council’s Development Research Center, said at a meeting of experts to interpret the key revisions in the regulations that was organized by the National Natural Science Foundation.

The revisions broaden the scope of projects that can be supported by the National Natural Science Foundation, which is responsible for financing basic and applied research in the country and which mainly focuses on supporting research at institutions of higher education and scientific research organizations with good research conditions and capabilities.

It is the first time that the National Natural Science Foundation Regulations, which determine the remit of the National Natural Science Foundation, have been updated since 2008.

Before, due to the existing project evaluation and expert selection mechanisms, the number of original projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation was always relatively small, Lv said.

The revised regulations have set up special funding for young and upcoming scientists and technological experts.

Young scientists are not only a vital force in scientific and technological innovation, but they will also determine the future strength of the scientific community, said Hu Ming, professor at South China University of Technology's School of Law. The new regulations will help nurture young talent with strong potential for innovation.

Diversified Funding

The revised regulations also allow for the joint funding of scientific research projects by local governments, private companies and other organizations to form co-operative mechanisms for scientific and technological innovation.

The main reasons for the lack of investment in basic research in the country is due to the single-source nature of the funding, predominantly relying on central government finances, Lv said. Joint funding not only diversifies funding sources, but also helps to address key scientific issues of concern among local governments and enterprises.

"This opens up a new path for broadening the source of scientific research funds and increasing investment in basic scientific research," said Zhang Qiang, professor at the Department of Earth System Science of Tsinghua University.

“It will foster closer ties between the government, enterprises and academia,” said Yang Lingchun, deputy director of Peking University’s Office of Scientific Research.

Research topics can not only originate from the frontiers of scientific development and national strategic needs, but also from the actual technical bottlenecks being encountered in industry, she said. This will help motivate companies to get involved in the funding of projects.

In the future, we should explore establishing scientific funds with donations from private capital to provide more funding sources for basic research, Lv added.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Kim Taylor