The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is the world's leading center for particle physics and nuclear physics frontier research. It hosts the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the highest-energy collider in the world, along with four major experiments (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb). These experiments utilize cutting-edge detection technologies to capture and study microscopic phenomena, offering the most advanced platform for the development of state-of-the-art particle detection technologies. CERN brings together more than 12,000 scientists from over 70 countries and serves as a highly successful model of large-scale international collaboration.

Since 1997, the National Natural Science Foundation of China has been supporting Chinese researchers in participating in LHC experiments. Starting from 2024, NSFC has established the NSFC-CERN Major Scientific Infrastructure International Cooperation Research Program, modeled after the management of Major Research Plan projects. The Program focuses on two main directions—physics research and detector development—through Integrated Projects, Key Supported Projects and Cultivation Projects. It aims to support Chinese researchers in participating in CERN international collaborations, thereby promoting scientific innovation, technological development, talent cultivation, and international cooperation in China's particle physics and nuclear physics fields. 2026 is the third year of implementation of this Program.

I. Scientific Objectives

This Program supports the development of advanced particle detection technologies for the four major LHC experiments (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb) and the conduct of cutting-edge research in particle physics and nuclear physics. The objectives are to precisely measure the properties of the Higgs boson and understand the origin of mass; to precisely test the Standard Model of particle physics and search for new physics beyond the Standard Model; to understand the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe; and to deepen the understanding of the non-perturbative properties of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the phase transitions of strongly interacting matter, and the properties of new states of matter.

II. Core Scientific Questions

(i) Precise measurement of the Standard Model and Higgs boson properties.

(ii) New physics beyond the Standard Model and the mechanism of Charge-Parity (CP) symmetry violation.

(iii) The nature of strong interactions and the internal structure of hadrons.

(iv) Properties of quark-gluon plasma under extreme high-temperature, high-density, and extremely low chemical potential conditions.

(v) Advanced particle detectors and key detection and data processing technologies.

III. Project Types and Funding Directions

For 2026, the Program solicits and funds Integrated Projects, Key Supported Projects, and Cultivation Projects. The specific funding directions are as follows:

(i) Integrated Projects

In 2026, the Program plans to select large-scale detector development projects with solid research foundations that require concentrated efforts for completion. The research directions are:

1. Development of the Upstream Tracker (UT) monolithic silicon pixel detector for the LHCb experiment under high-luminosity upgrade conditions during LHC Long Shutdown 4 (LS4). This includes: overall detector system and detector stave/module design optimization; front-end electronics functional design meeting LHCb data communication requirements; front-end stave and module-level electronics flex board design and pre-production; construction of stave-level detector prototypes; and validation of CO₂ two-phase cooling design for stave prototypes.

2. Development of the ultra-fast, high-radiation-resistant novel electromagnetic calorimeter PicoCal for the LHCb experiment under high-luminosity upgrade conditions during LS4. This includes: system design of the SpaCal-type electromagnetic calorimeter prototype; design and 3D-printing process development of dense tungsten grid absorbers; and construction of the SpaCal-type electromagnetic calorimeter prototype.

Applications for Integrated Projects must cover the above research contents. Applications covering only part of the contents will not be accepted.

(ii) Key Supported Projects

Focusing on the core scientific questions and guided by the overall scientific objectives, projects with strong innovation in research paradigms, solid foundations, and those that can form disciplinary intersections, complementary advantages, and make significant contributions to the overall objectives will be granted as Key Supported Projects. Priority will be given to the following directions:

1. Priority Directions in Physics Research

(1) Further measurement of Higgs boson properties using ATLAS and CMS Run-3 data: study off-shell processes in Higgs-vector boson coupling to improve total width precision; measure rare Higgs decay processes and associated production cross sections; study double and triple Higgs production to enhance understanding of Higgs self-coupling; search for high-mass resonances coupled to the Higgs, explore beyond Standard Model Higgs decay modes, and search for supersymmetric partners of the Higgs.

(2) Precise tests of the Standard Model and searches for new physics using ATLAS and CMS Run-3 data: precise measurements of processes such as diboson production to probe anomalous couplings and quantum properties at high energies; first observations of novel ultra-rare processes (e.g., tri-boson production with Higgs); searches for resonant new particles decaying to multiple bosons and new physics signatures with dark matter in the final state; measurements involving charmonium and Standard Model bosons in the final state to provide precision tests of Standard Model predictions, conducting indirect searches for new physics; and studies of top-quark pair threshold resonances observed at the LHC via alternative decay modes (e.g., ZH final state).

(3) High-energy frontier quark-gluon plasma (QGP) properties and extreme nuclear matter studies: developing silicon pixel-based tracking techniques for strange-particle reconstruction using ALICE Run-3 data; use charm hadrons and quarkonia as probes to study hadronization mechanisms driven by heavy quark-medium interaction, quarkonium dissociation and regeneration, and heavy-flavor spin polarization effects, thereby constraining QGP microstructure and dynamical evolution. Systematically study extreme nuclear matter properties in relativistic heavy-ion collisions using CMS Run-3 data, with emphasis on photoproduction and spin polarization effects.

(4) Joint precision measurement of proton parton distribution functions using ATLAS, CMS, and LHCb data, particularly by measuring asymmetry observables in W/Z boson events to probe u/d valence and sea quark momentum distributions inside the proton.

2. Priority Directions in Detector Development

(1) Development of novel hybrid pixel detector prototype components with both timing and spatial resolution for the need of a potential ATLAS pixel detector replacement due to irradiation damage in the High-Luminosity LHC era, including sensors and front-end readout chips.

(2) Development of the CMS Level-1 trigger upgrade endcap RPC backend electronics system to meet CMS RPC upgrade needs, including high-speed data transmission, trigger cluster finding algorithms, DAQ firmware, slow/fast control, and system integration.

(3) Development of new event models, real-time online data analysis strategies, and machine-learning-based data compression techniques for LHCb under high-luminosity upgrade conditions to enhance heavy-flavor physics capabilities.

(4) R&D of ALICE3 tracking system silicon pixel sensor chips: in cooperation with the ALICE Collaboration, develop high position resolution, high radiation hardness, low power consumption, high timing resolution MAPS chips for the ALICE3 inner tracker, participating in design and characterization of chips for the vertex detector and middle layer of the tracker.

(5) R&D of ALICE3 silicon pixel detector readout electronics: develop high-speed stable readout electronics for MAPS-based inner tracker, achieving high-speed data reception, aggregation, and transmission, along with power supply, configuration, and control of MAPS.

(6) High-precision integration technology for ALICE3 inner tracker silicon pixel detectors: tackle high-precision chip stitching, electrical bonding to flexible PCBs, inter-module interconnection, and develop light-weight module integration technologies to achieve high integration precision, low material budget, high spatial resolution inner tracker modules, including assembly, testing, and pre-production.

(iii) Cultivation Projects

Projects that are highly exploratory and innovative in topic will be supported as Cultivation Projects. Priority will be given to:

1. Novel research topics or experimental methods addressing key scientific questions, using LHC experimental data for searches of new physics or precise Standard Model tests (electroweak, QCD, and Higgs physics). Preference will be given to physics research closely related to detector development tasks undertaken by the Chinese groups.

2. Research on data acquisition, triggering, detector calibration, and physics object reconstruction for ATLAS and CMS detectors (current and High-Luminosity LHC upgrade), including: (i) intelligent online data quality monitoring and early warning methods; (ii) optimization of CMS hadron calorimeter reconstruction speed and energy resolution; (iii) trigger algorithms and heavy-flavor quark jet identification algorithms for High-Luminosity LHC.

3. Pre-R&D of high-radiation-hardness, high-time-resolution photomultiplier tubes to meet the performance requirements of the electromagnetic calorimeter system in the LHCb detector upgrade.

IV. 2026 Funding Plan

Integrated Projects: No more than 2 projects, with a funding level of 3.5–5 million RMB per project (direct costs). Duration: 4 years (January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2030).

Key Supported Projects: No more than 9 projects, with a funding level of approximately 1.5–2.5 million RMB per project (direct costs). Duration: 4 years (January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2030).

Cultivation Projects: No more than 5 projects, with a funding level not exceeding 500,000 RMB per project (direct costs). Duration: 3 years (January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2029).

V. Application Guidelines

(i) Eligibility

1. Applicants must:

(1) Have experience in undertaking basic research projects.

(2) Hold a senior professional position (title).

Postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and individuals without institutional affiliation or whose institution is not a NSFC host institution are not eligible to apply as Principal Investigators.

2. For Cultivation and Key Supported Projects, the number of collaborating institutions shall not exceed 2. For Integrated Projects, it shall not exceed 4.

3. Applicants shall formulate their own project titles, scientific objectives, research contents, technical routes, and budgets based on the Program's core scientific questions and funding directions. Physics research projects should demonstrate interdisciplinary characteristics and make substantial contributions to solving the core scientific questions and achieving the overall objectives. Proposals that fail to comply with the specified research themes will be rejected without review.

4. For detector development projects, applicants must submit, as an attachment, a Letter of Collaboration signed by the respective Spokespersons of the four major CERN experiments (template provided in Attachment 1). Applications without this letter will not be accepted.

(ii) Limits of Parallel Application

As a Principal Investigator (PI), an applicant may submit at most one application under this Program and may undertake at most one project as PI under this Program (combined total).

Projects funded under this Program shall be counted toward the total number of applications and ongoing projects of NSFC for personnel holding senior professional technical titles (positions). The total number of applications (as applicant or main participant) and ongoing projects (as PI or main participant) shall not exceed two.

Other restrictions on the number of applications as stipulated in the NSFC Guide to Programs 2026.

(iii) Application Notes

1. Applicants and host institutions must carefully read and strictly comply with the requirements set forth in this Guideline, the NSFC Guide to Programs 2026, and the Notice on Application and Completion of NSFC Projects in 2026.

2. Applicants must log into the Internet-based Science Information System (Grants System) to submit applications online (https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/).

(1) Log in using the "Project Principal Investigator" user group. After logging in, click "Online Application" to enter the application interface. Then click the "New Project Application" button, select the relevant Scientific Department, and choose "Apply for Regular Science Department Projects" to enter the project category selection interface.

(2) Select "Science Fund for Global Challenges and Sustainability (面向全球的科学研究基金项目)", and then select "Large Scientific Infrastructure (CERN) (重大科学基础设施(CERN))", and select one project type from "Cultivation Projects-Physics Research (培育项目-物理研究)", "Cultivation Projects- Detector Development (培育项目-探测器研制)", "Key Supported Projects-Physics Research (重点支持项目-物理研究)", "Key Supported Projects-Detector Development (重点支持项目-探测器研制)," or "Integrated Projects-Detector Development (集成项目-探测器研制)", based on the specific research content of the application.

(3) Applicants must complete and submit the electronic application form and all required attachments online in accordance with the instructions and writing outline provided in the NSFC Grants System.

3. Application Materials Requirements

(1) The main content of the application form must be written in English. Applications not written in English will be rejected.

(2) For detector development projects, applicants must attach a Letter of Collaboration signed by the Spokesperson of the relevant CERN experiment (one of the four major detectors). Applications without this signed letter will not be accepted.

(3) Applicants must attach English curricula vitae (CVs) of the Principal Investigator and all main participants.

4. Responsibilities of the Host Institution

The host institution shall review the authenticity, completeness, and compliance of the application materials submitted by its applicants, as well as the relevance, policy compliance, and economic rationality of the proposed budget. This Program operates under a paperless application system. The supporting institution must submit the electronic application form and all attachments before the specified deadline.

5. Additional Notes

To monitor project progress, this Program will organize one annual academic exchange meeting for funded projects each year and will hold academic workshops in relevant fields on an irregular basis. Principal Investigators of funded projects are required to participate in academic exchange activities organized by the Program's Steering Expert Group and Management Working Group.

(iv) Application Receipt Period

The online submission system will be open from June 30, 2026 to 4:00 p.m. on August 5, 2026. (Beijing Time).

(v) Contact Information

Division III, Department of International Programs, NSFC
Tel: 010-62328487, 010-62326440
Email: lijia@nsfc.gov.cn, songshengqiang@nsfc.gov.cn
Technical Support (Information Center): +86-10-62317474

Attachment

Template for Certificate of Collaborative Research

Department of International Programs

National Natural Science Foundation of China

June 29, 2026