Address from President
 In
2007, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC),
under the leadership of the central government and the State
Council, exerted itself in studying the spirit of the 17th
CPC congress, made in-depth implementation of the scientific
outlook on development, continuously carried out the
Guidelines on the National Medium and Long Term Program for
Science and Technology Development, accurately steered
NSFC's strategic position, carried through the working
principles for the new period, steadily implemented its
Eleventh Five-Year Plan, fulfilled the Regulations on the
National Natural Science Fund, and made unremitting efforts
in strengthening ingenious innovative capabilities and
constructing an innovative country.
The year 2007 was a milestone in the history of NSFC. The
State Council promulgated the Regulations on the National
Natural Science Fund, which came into force on 1 April, 2007.
This is a significant event for China's scientific and
technological legal system construction and basic research in
the country.
In 2007, NSFC received over 73,800 applications for various
types of programs from 1,570 registered institutions, which is
an increase of 8.9% (or 6,000 more applications) to that in
2006. NSFC approved 14,700 projects with a funding of
approximately 5 billion yuan through its overall planning and
based on scientific selection for the three-category funding
structures: 'Research Program, 'Talent Fostering Program and
'Environment Construction Program', responding to the demand of
the development of basic research. Among them, 3.2 billion yuan
was arranged for Research Program. According to the funding
principle of limiting the funding scale and enhancing the
funding intensity, 7,713 General Program projects were granted
with a total funding of 2.275 billion yuan, of which the average
funding intensity is 295,000 yuan per project, an increase of
21,000 per project compared with that in 2006, and the average
funding rate is 17.13%. With the view of focusing on priority
areas while giving due attention to disciplinary development,
integrating innovative resources and fostering key
breakthroughs, 373 Key Program projects were granted with a
total funding of 635 million yuan. In light of addressing the
national major strategic demand, promoting disciplinary
intercrossing and integrating innovative strength to tackle key
scientific problems, the first batch of 8 Major Program projects
for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan period were granted with a
funding of 48.53 million yuan based on scientific argumentation
and evaluation. Aiming at the strategic needs of scientific
forefront, environment and national security, NSFC made the
overall planning for the Major Research Plan during the Eleventh
Five-Year Plan period, and 6 Major Research Plans with 203
projects were launched, with a total funding of 175 million
yuan.
NSFC spent 1.45 billion yuan for the Talent Fostering Program
with the focus on fostering innovative talents by adhering to
the principle of accumulating talent reserve, stabilizing young
talents, supporting regional talents, bringing up top-notch
talents and training innovative groups. Sixty research bases
from 30 higher institutions were supported by the Fund for
Talent Training in Basic Science with a funding of 99.30 million
yuan. Actively accommodating the needs of rapid development of
China's young scientific and technological teams, NSFC funded
3,336 Young Scientists Fund projects, 907 projects more than
that of last year, with a funding of 617 million yuan according
to the principles of stabilizing the funding intensity and
reasonably expanding the funding scale. Aiming at promoting
regional scientific and technological coordination, boosting
talent training in areas of weak scientific basis, 559 projects
of the Fund for Less Developed Regions were granted with a
funding of 102 million yuan. Committed in fostering and training
outstanding talents, 180 scientists (including some with foreign
citizenship) were granted the National Fund for Distinguished
Young Scholars, with a funding of 353 million yuan. To
strengthen the team cultivation and promote the coordinative
innovation, 29 projects for the Fund for Creative Research
Groups were launched with a funding of 142 million yuan. A total
funding of 105 million yuan was allocated as renewal to 20
Creative Research Groups which had been supported for 3 years
and 4 Creative Research Groups which had been supported for 6
years.
NSFC tried hard to keep strengthening supportive conditions,
promote resource sharing, enhance public awareness on science,
and optimize the environment for basic research development. A
total of 46 million yuan was appropriated for projects aimed at
environment construction, among which, 30 million yuan is for
the Special Fund for Basic Research on Scientific Instruments, 7
million yuan for excellent state key laboratories, 2.25 million
yuan for Tianyuan Fund for Mathematics, 2 million yuan for
projects of public awareness of science and 4.50 million yuan
for scientific activities for the youth.
Through the joint funds and joint funding mechanism,
extensive collaboration was set up between state departments,
local governments, state owned enterprises and research
institutions, and other resources were pooled into basic
research, playing a positive role in integrating scientific and
technological resources, promoting the combination of industry,
education and research and building up the national innovation
system. In 2007, 219 projects of various categories were funded
under 8 Joint Funds with a total funding of 157 million yuan.
NSFC's stress on talent fostering and the implementation of
scientific and technological talent strategy has accelerated the
sound growth of the team construction for China's basic
research. 70% of the grantees of the 2007 General Program
projects are middle-aged and young scholars under the age of 45
and this figure is 45% for Key Program projects grantees. A
batch of middle-aged and young scholars in their prime time for
innovation have become awardees of NSFC projects and the main
force undertaking basic research in China. Under the continuous
support of NSFC, many young scholars have grown into academic
leaders and some of them have even taken up a prominent position
in their respective fields.
Through persistent support to innovative research, NSFC is
playing a key role in promoting China's integral basic research
strength. Achievements of excellence have been coming forth
under the combined endeavor of NSFC's long term commitment and
the promotion of other national scientific and technological
programs. Academician Wu Zhengyi, the recipient of 2007 National
Supreme Science and Technology Award, has been receiving funding
from NSFC since 1987. Academician Min Enze, the other recipient,
was the principal investigator of NSFC's Major Program project
in 1997. Out of the 39 prizes for the National Natural Science
Award in 2007, mainland recipients of 38 prizes have all been
supported to some extent by NSFC.
2008 is a transitional year for the Eleventh Five-Year Plan
period. NSFC will keep studying and carrying out the spirit of
the 17th CPC National Congress, implement the scientific outlook
on development in an all-round way under the guidance of Deng
Xiaoping Theory and the thought of "Three Represents". NSFC will
consummate management regulation systems focusing on carrying
through the NSFC Regulations, optimize the funding structure by
stressing the fostering of ingenious innovative environment,
enhance NSFC's credit among the general public with emphasis on
improving its evaluation system, enhance its funding efficiency
by exploring a better performance management and assessment, and
advance the administrative efficiency through reforming the
institutional and personnel systems. All of the tasks are for
nothing but the goal to boost the sound and rapid development of
the National Natural Science Fund and make even greater
contributions to China's ingenious innovative capability and the
overall success of constructing a well-off society.
March 2008
(Quoted from 2007 Annual Report) |
