To build and foster an international platform for high-level open collaborative research, and to enhance the international openness of China's major science and technology facilities, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) launched a pilot program entitled the "International Open Collaborative Basic Research Program on National Major Science and Technology Facilities" (hereinafter referred to as IOCBRF Program) in 2026. The IOCBRF Program supports researchers who are employed full-time at overseas institutions to utilize the Chinese National Major Science and Technology Facilities in collaboration with researchers based in China, so as to advance the development of global scientific frontiers and tackle the common challenges to the humankind.

The above-mentioned "National Major Science and Technology Facilities" refers specifically to: 1. National Major Science and Technology Infrastructure approved for construction and operation by the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission; 2. Major Scientific Research Instruments developed through the concluded NSFC's National Major Research Instrument Development Projects and  officially incorporated into the NRII Platform (https://nrii.org.cn).

I. Program Categories

The IOCBRF Program includes two types of projects: Key Collaborative Projects and Exploratory Collaborative Projects, with respective objectives and positioning as follows:

1. Key Collaborative Projects: This category supports overseas and Chinese researchers to conduct in-depth, systematic, and innovative research through strong partnership and complementary strengths to address a major scientific question at the frontiers and substantively enhance the openness, accessibility, and international cooperation capacity of National Major Science and Technology Facilities.

2. Exploratory Collaborative Projects: This category supports overseas and Chinese researchers to conduct exploratory collaborative research of high originality which will lay a foundation for substantial bilateral or multilateral international collaborative research in the future, accumulate collaborative experience, and foster collaboration networks.

II. Application Requirements

1. The IOCBRF Program adopts a dual Principal Investigator (PI) application scheme with both an applicant based in China and an overseas applicant to submit the project proposal jointly. Proposals should be written in English. Applicants must clearly elaborate in the proposal on the necessity and suitability of utilizing the National Major Science and Technology Facility, as well as the necessity and complementarity of the collaborative research of the two sides.

2. As an essential participating party in IOCBRF projects, the National Major Science and Technology Facility shall possess conditions for international open sharing. The legal entity of the National Major Science and Technology Facility shall provide a supporting letter consenting to participate in and commit to allowing the use of the facility upon the project application approval. This supporting letter shall be submitted as an attachment to the proposal and must bear the official seal of the legal entity of the facility.

3. To promote open sharing of National Major Science and Technology Facilities, full-time researchers affiliated with the legal entity of a facility shall be involved as a participant but not as PIs in the application utilizing the infrastructure or instruments operated by their own institution.

4. The applicants of two sides must sign a collaborative agreement covering eligibility commitment, research content, task division, data sharing, and intellectual property rights. This agreement must be submitted as an attachment to the proposal.

5. Each proposal may involve no more than two collaborative institutions in China (including the legal entity of the National Major Science and Technology Facility).

III. Eligibility Criteria

1. Applicants (PIs) and participants overseas

(1) Hold full-time research positions at an overseas university or research institution.

(2) The overseas applicants (PIs) must have experience independently leading a laboratory or major research project overseas, and hold a professional/technical position equivalent to associate professor or higher level within the host country.

(3) The cumulative duration for collaborative research and academic exchanges of the overseas researchers in China during the funding period shall be no less than 30 days per year.

2. Applicants (PIs) based in China

(1)   Hold a senior professional/technical position (title).

(2)   Have experience undertaking basic research projects.

Postdoctoral fellows at research stations, students pursuing graduate degrees, individuals without institutional affiliation, or those whose host institution is not a registered NSFC host institution are not eligible to apply as PIs.

3. Participants from the National Major Science and Technology Facility

(1) Possess the experience and capability to operate the relevant facilities and instruments for the collaborative project.

(2) Have comprehensive coordination capabilities to arrange experiments at the facility for project implementation.

IV. 2026 Funding Plan

1. Key Collaborative Projects

(1) Funding level: up to RMB 2.3 million per project (direct costs); the project duration: 4 years.

(2) Approximately 15 projects planned for funding in 2026.

2. Exploratory Collaborative Projects

(1) Funding level: up to RMB 0.6 million per project (direct costs); the project duration: 3 years.

(2) Approximately 25 projects planned for funding in 2026.

V. Application Limits

1. NSFC’s general limit on the total number of projects applied for and undertaken does not apply to the IOCBRF Program.

2. The PIs of both sides are eligible to apply for and undertake no more than one IOCBRF project except for projects whose funding period expire in the year of application for a new project.

3. Overseas applicants cannot apply for the IOCBRF Program concurrently with both domestic and overseas identities.

4. Other restrictions on the application eligibility specified in the NSFC Guide to Programs 2026.

VI. Financial Management

Funds for projects under the IOCBRF Program shall be administered in accordance with the Funds Management Measures for NSFC-Awarded Projects and other relevant regulations. The grant funds cannot be used for the upgrading or renovation of National Major Science and Technology Infrastructure or Major Scientific Research Instruments. The budget, expenditure, and final accounting of project funds shall be jointly managed by PIs of both sides. Overseas applicants and participants are encouraged to make substantive contributions to the collaborative project through funding, in-kind support, or other forms.

VII. Application Guidelines

1. Applicants and their host institutions shall carefully read and comply with requirements specified in this Call for Proposals, the NSFC Guide to Programs 2026, and the Notice on Application and Conclusion of National Natural Science Fund Projects in 2026.

2. Applicants must log into the NSFC Internet-based Science Information System (Grants System) (https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/) to complete and submit proposals together with relevant attachments online in accordance with the instructions and writing outlines.

(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, and select the "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 "the Facility Open Collaboration Basic Research Program (IOCBRF)(国家科技平台开放合作专项(IOCBRF))"，and select either "Key Collaborative Projects (重点合作项目)" or " Exploratory Collaborative Projects (合作探索项目)". Applicants shall select the appropriate application code based on the specific research content of the proposal, preferably the secondary application code (in 4 digits).

(3) Select either “Major Science and Technology Infrastructure（重大科技基础设施）” or “Major Scientific Research Instrument（重大科研仪器）” according to the type of National Major Science and Technology Facilities relied upon by the project. If the project relies on Major Science and Technology Infrastructure, applicants shall fill in the infrastructure name and its legal entity. If the project relies on Major Scientific Research Instruments, applicants shall fill in the instrument name (as registered on the National Network Management Platform for Major Research Infrastructure and Large-Scale Research Instruments) and the approval number of the corresponding NSFC Fund for Research on National Major Research Instruments. Please note that the instrument must have been officially incorporated into the  network management platform prior to the application deadline of the IOCBRF Program.

3. Notes for Applicants

(1) The main part of the proposal must be written in English.

(2) Mandatory attachments:

① Supporting Letter for Facility Access: The official letter of support issued by the legal entity of the National Major Science and Technology Facility (Template in Annex 1), affixed with the institutional official seal.

② Collaborative Agreement: The signed agreement between applicants of both sides (Template in Annex 2).

③ English CVs: English resumes of PIs and key participants of both sides (Template in Annex 3).

④Employment Certificate: Certificate of employment for the overseas applicant (PI).

⑤For projects involving animal experiments, the relevant national regulations and requirements concerning animal welfare and scientific and technological ethics must be complied with. For biomedical research projects involving human subjects (including individuals, tissues, organs, cells, etc.), the relevant provisions of the Measures for Ethical Review of Life Science and Medical Research Involving Human Subjects must be observed, and the relevant regulations and requirements pertaining to medical ethics and clinical research shall be strictly adhered to during the project application and implementation process. For the above-mentioned research, a scanned copy of the ethical review certificate issued by the ethics committee of the host institution or its competent supervisory authority shall be submitted.

Applications missing any of the above-mentioned attachments will not be accepted.

4. Notes for Host Institutions

The host institution is responsible for reviewing the scientific and technological ethics and security of the applications submitted by its applicants, along with the authenticity, completeness, and regulatory compliance of the application materials, and the relevance to the funding objectives, policy alignment, and budgetary reasonableness of the proposed expenditures.

The host institution is required to upload the Letter of Commitment for Research Integrity of the Host Institution for National Natural Science Fund Projects 2026 via the NSFC Grants system before submitting all the application materials, and confirm and submit all proposals and required appendix documents via the Grants system on a case-by-case basis before the specified deadline. No hard copies are required. Upon project approval, the signed and sealed page of the application form should be attached to the Research Plan and mailed to NSFC together. Please ensure that the signed and sealed information is consistent with the electronic application form.

Please refer to the NSFC Guide to Programs 2026 and the Notice on Application and Conclusion of National Natural Science Found Projects in 2026 for the above requirements for the host institutions.

5. Submission Deadline

The online submission window opens on August 7, 2026 and closes on September 11, 2026 at 16:00 Beijing time.

Note: Applicants are requested to prepare and submit the application materials in strict accordance with the requirements specified in this Call for Proposals. Applications failing to meet the above-mentioned requirements will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please reach us via the following contacts.

VIII. Contact Information

1. Division III, Department of International Programs

Tel: +86-10-62328487, +86-10-62326440

Email: lijia@nsfc.gov.cn, songshengqiang@nsfc.gov.cn

2. Information System Technical Support (Information Center)

Tel: +86-10-62317474

Annexes:

1. Template for Supporting Letter for Facility Access

2. Template for Collaborative Agreement

3. Template for English CVs

Department of International Programs

National Natural Science Foundation of China

2026-07-30