General Program

1. Project of Free Application
   Scientists from various departments, institutions and regions all over the country can choose freely research topics as specified in the Guide to Programs of NSFC and submit proposals according to the stipulated procedures. The Project of Free Application is the main part of NSFC's programs, and about 60% of its fund is allocated to it. Proposals for Project of Free Application are accepted and evaluated once a year.
2. Project for Young Scientists Fund
   The application procedure of this project is the same as that for the Project of Free Application, but the chief researcher must be under the age of 35 and have either a PH.D. degree or a medium or higher professional title. The applicant must be capable of conducting research independently and have creative ideas, and his (her) research group must mainly consist of young scientists.
3. Project for Less Developed Regions
   Projects of this category are aimed at supporting scientific research in less developed regions of China, which include Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Tibet Autonomous Region, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hainan Province, Guizhou Province, Jiangxi Province and Yunnan Province as well as the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin Province. The procedure for the application and selection of this kind of projects is the same as that for the Project of Free Application.