Notice from the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology on the release of the first batch of project application guidelines for the National Key R&D Program "Intergovernmental International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation" and other
key projects in 2025
Release time: November 5, 2024 Source: Ministry of Science and Technology
https://service.most.gov.cn/kjjh_tztg_all/20241105/5613.html
Guokewai [2024] No. 13
To the science and technology departments (commissions, bureaus) of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities with independent planning status, the Science and Technology Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the science and technology departments and bureaus of all relevant departments of the State Council, and all relevant units:
In accordance with the relevant requirements of the Interim Measures for the Administration of the National Key R&D Program (Guokefazi [2024] No. 28), the first batch of project application guidelines for the key project "Intergovernmental International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation" in 2025 and the first batch of project application guidelines for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan in 2025 for the key project "Strategic Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation" are hereby released. Please organize project application work according to the requirements of the guidelines. The relevant matters are notified as follows.
1. Project organization and application workflow
1. The applicant unit shall organize the application in the form of a project according to the research content supported by the guidelines. The project should be applied as a whole and must cover all the assessment indicators of the corresponding guideline direction. The project applicant unit shall recommend one scientific researcher as the project leader.
2. Focus on the tasks in the guidelines, integrate the superior innovation teams, concentrate efforts, and jointly tackle key problems. Encourage capable female researchers to take the lead as project (topic) leaders and undertake tasks, and actively recruit female researchers to participate in project research.
3. The specific work flow for application and review of National Key R&D Program projects is as follows.
——The project lead applicant shall fill in and submit the formal project application form in one go through the National Science and Technology Management Information System (http://service.most.gov.cn) in accordance with the relevant application requirements of the guidelines.
——The project lead applicant unit should sign a joint application agreement with all participating units and specify the signing time of the agreement; the project lead applicant unit, subject application unit, project leader and subject leader must sign a letter of commitment. The project lead applicant unit and all participating units must implement the requirements of the "Several Opinions on Further Strengthening the Construction of Scientific Research Integrity" and the "Opinions on Further Promoting the Spirit of Scientists and Strengthening the Construction of Work Style and Academic Style", strengthen the review and approval of application materials, eliminate exaggeration and untrue information, and strictly prohibit fraud.
——The recommending units shall strengthen the review and approval of the application materials of the recommended projects, and submit the recommended projects through the National Science and Technology Management Information System on time.
——After accepting the project application, the project professional management agency organizes a formal review and conducts the first round of review. The project leader does not need to defend the first round of review. According to the expert review results and the consultation and coordination situation, 3 to 4 times the number of proposed projects will be selected to enter the next round of defense review. For the application projects that have not entered the defense review, the review results will be fed back to the project application unit and the person in charge in a timely manner.
——The project professional management organization organizes the defense review of the projects. The person in charge of the application project will make a report defense via online video. Based on the expert review results and the consultation and coordination situation, the best projects will be selected.
II. Recommending units for organization application
1. Departments and bureaus in charge of science and technology of relevant departments of the State Council.
2. Science and technology authorities of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities with independent planning status and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
3. Industry associations established through the transformation of former industrial departments.
4. Industrial technology innovation strategic alliances that are included in the pilot scope of the Ministry of Science and Technology and have been evaluated as Class A, as well as industry pilot alliances for innovation and development of science and technology services industries that are included in the pilot scope of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance.
5. Projects submitted by Hong Kong and Macao entities will be organized and recommended by the Innovation and Technology Commission of Hong Kong and the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macao respectively as required.
Each recommending unit should recommend projects within its own functions and business scope, and be responsible for the authenticity of the recommended projects. Relevant departments of the State Council recommend units with which they have business guidance relationships, industry associations and industrial technology innovation strategic alliances, and science and technology service industry innovation and development industry pilot alliances recommend their member units, and provincial science and technology authorities recommend units within their administrative regions. The list of recommended units has been publicly released on the National Science and Technology Management Information System.
III. Eligibility requirements
1. The lead applicants and participating institutions for the key project of “Intergovernmental International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation” should be scientific research institutes, universities and enterprises registered in mainland China (hereinafter referred to as mainland institutions), or Hong Kong and Macao institutions determined by consultation between the mainland and Hong Kong, or between the mainland and Macao (Annex 1).
The lead applicant and participating units for the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan projects under the key special project of "Strategic Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation" should be mainland units.
The project lead applicant and participating units should have independent legal entity status, and the registration time should be on or before October 31, 2023.
The project lead applicant, project participating units and project team members have good integrity, and have no record of serious scientific research misconduct during the period of punishment execution and no record of being on the credit "blacklist" in relevant social fields.
The applicant unit can only apply for the same project through a single recommending unit. Multiple or repeated applications are not allowed.
2. The project (topic) leader must have a senior professional title or a doctoral degree, be born after January 1, 1964, and work on the project for no less than 6 months each year.
3. In principle, the person in charge of a project (topic) should be the person who proposes the main research ideas of the project (topic) and the scientific and technological personnel who actually preside over the research. Civil servants of central and local state organs at all levels (including other personnel who exercise scientific and technological plan management functions) are not allowed to apply for projects (topics).
4. Project (topic) leaders are limited to applying for one project (topic). Leaders of ongoing projects under the National Key R&D Program and Science and Technology Innovation 2030—Major Projects are not allowed to take the lead or participate in applying for projects (topics), but topic leaders can participate in applying for projects (topics).
The total number of projects (topics) applied for by project (topics) leaders and backbones and ongoing projects (topics) under the National Key R&D Program and Science and Technology Innovation 2030-Major Projects shall not exceed 2; the leaders and backbones of ongoing projects (topics) under the National Key R&D Program and Science and Technology Innovation 2030-Major Projects shall not withdraw from ongoing projects due to applying for new projects. After withdrawing from the project R&D team, in principle, they shall not take the lead or participate in applying for new national key R&D program projects during the execution period of the original project.
For the key special projects of "intergovernmental international scientific and technological innovation cooperation" with a budget of no more than 4 million yuan from the central government's special funds, there is no limit on the number of projects with other key special projects (topics) of the national key R&D plan, but the project leaders of other key special projects are not allowed to participate in the application of such unlimited projects; for the key special projects of "strategic scientific and technological innovation cooperation" with a budget of no more than 4 million yuan from the central government's special funds, there is no limit on the number of projects with other key special projects (topics) of the national key R&D plan and non-Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan projects (topics) of the key special projects of "strategic scientific and technological innovation cooperation", but the project leaders of other key special projects and non-Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan projects of the key special projects of "strategic scientific and technological innovation cooperation" are not allowed to participate in the application of such unlimited projects. The total number of applications submitted by the project (topic) leader and the two types of unlimited projects in progress is limited to 1. The total number of applications submitted by the backbone of the project and the two types of unlimited projects in progress is limited to 1.
At the same time, as the project (topic) leader, scientific researchers can only host one "intergovernmental international scientific and technological innovation cooperation" key special project (including the above-mentioned unlimited projects). The total number of "intergovernmental international scientific and technological innovation cooperation" key special projects applied for and under research by project (topic) leaders and project backbones shall not exceed 2 (including the above-mentioned unlimited projects). The project (topic) leader can only host one "strategic scientific and technological innovation cooperation" key special project in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan (including the above-mentioned unlimited projects). The total number of "strategic scientific and technological innovation cooperation" key special projects applied for and under research by project (topic) leaders and project backbones shall not exceed 2 (including the above-mentioned unlimited projects).
Ongoing projects (including tasks or topics) whose plan and task execution period (including the extended execution period) is before June 30, 2025 are not subject to the limit.
5. In principle, experts who participated in the implementation plan of the key special project or the preparation of this year's project guidelines cannot apply for the key special project (topic).
6. Project (topic) leaders of Hong Kong and Macao units should abide by the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the relevant provisions of the National Key R&D Program. Applicants from Hong Kong and Macao should love the country and Hong Kong and Macao.
7. Foreign scientists employed by mainland units and scientists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan can serve as project (topic) leaders. Full-time employees must provide valid full-time employment materials from the mainland employing unit, and part-time employees must provide valid employment materials from both units at the same time and submit them together as project application materials.
8. In principle, the applicant unit and person in charge cannot be changed after the application project is accepted.
9. The lead applicant for the key special project of “Intergovernmental International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation” must sign a cooperation agreement with the foreign partner for the project application.
The content and methods of project cooperation should comply with the relevant laws and regulations of my country and the countries (regions, international organizations) where the cooperating institutions are located, as well as the relevant provisions of scientific research ethics. For any cooperative activities that require prior review and approval, such as those involving human genetic resources or germplasm resources, the applicant must perform the relevant domestic review and approval procedures in accordance with the law in advance. Only after all the necessary procedures are completed can the project be officially established.
The parties to the cooperation have clear agreements or intended agreements on the future ownership of intellectual property rights and the ownership of the proceeds from the transformation of results, and they comply with the relevant provisions of my country's laws and regulations on the ownership of intellectual property rights and the proceeds from the transformation of results (an intellectual property agreement or letter of intent, memorandum, letter of certification must be attached, or the relevant intellectual property provisions must be clearly stated in the Sino-foreign cooperation agreement).
10. Chinese units must clarify the following requirements with foreign cooperative institutions and personnel: Foreign project leaders shall not participate in multiple applications with different domestic units for the same research direction and technical route, and the total number of projects applied for and participated in by them as foreign project leaders shall not exceed 2. Those who have participated in the national key R&D plan and the Science and Technology Innovation 2030-Major Project as foreign scientists employed in the mainland shall not participate in the application as foreign personnel.
11. For specific application requirements of the project, please refer to the Project Application Guide.
Before formally submitting the project proposal, each applicant unit can use the National Science and Technology Management Information System to inquire about the status of ongoing projects (including tasks or topics) undertaken by relevant scientific researchers in the National Key R&D Program and Science and Technology Innovation 2030 - Major Projects to avoid duplicate applications.
IV. Specific application methods
1. Online submission. Each applicant is requested to submit the application online through the National Science and Technology Management Information System as required. The project professional management agency will use the online application form as the basis for subsequent formal review and project evaluation. All attachments required in the application materials should be uploaded in electronic scanned copies.
The acceptance period for project application units to fill in the application form online is from 8:00 on November 15, 2024 to 16:00 on December 26, 2024.
2. Organizational recommendation. Please confirm the recommended projects one by one through the National Science and Technology Management Information System before 16:00 on January 3, 2025, and upload the recommendation letter with the official seal of the recommending unit in the form of an electronic scan.
3. Technical consultation phone number and email:
010-58882999 (relay), program@istic.ac.cn.
4. Consultation telephone and email for key special business:
Key projects of “intergovernmental international scientific and technological innovation cooperation”:
010-68598010, zfj@nrscc.gov.cn.
Key projects of "Strategic Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation":
010-68598075, zlx@nrscc.gov.cn.
appendix:
International Cooperation Department of Ministry of Science and Technology
November 4, 2024
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