China is offering 15-year research grants to a select group of exceptionally talented young scientists as it seeks to strengthen basic research and accelerate technological development. The initiative, announced by Dou Xiankang, director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), provides long-term financial backing without short-term performance reviews.
Speaking at an academic forum on September 19, Dou said the principal performance measure for researchers selected under the new scheme would be whether they remained physically engaged in laboratory work. “We do not mind if there is no short-term success; we just need you to settle down and stay in the laboratory,” he said.
The NSFC has selected 44 scientists this year, including nine from overseas and more than 30 from within China. Dou said researchers would receive progressively greater support over the 15-year period, with funding doubling after the first five years and doubling again after the following five years. “This is a new initiative undertaken by the NSFC this year,” he said.
Dou said the policy was intended to give researchers freedom to pursue scientific work without pressure for immediate results. He argued that major breakthroughs depend on the creativity and enthusiasm of highly innovative researchers and that scientists should receive financial support when they are most actively pursuing research.
“We want to encourage them by providing timely and effective support when they need the money the most, when they are at their most dynamic and at an age when they still have a passion for science, enabling them to stand out,” Dou said.
The initiative builds on a broader shift by the NSFC towards directing more resources to younger researchers. China’s academic funding system has faced criticism over the concentration of resources among a relatively small group of senior and influential researchers, while younger academics compete intensely for research grants.
Since Dou became NSFC director in April 2023, the funding agency has placed greater emphasis on early-career scientists. In November 2023, it announced plans to provide leading young researchers with as much as 28 million yuan (US$4.17 million) over 15 years to support their research.
The NSFC also announced in May an expansion of its Young Scientists Fund, projecting an additional 12,000 grants, an increase of more than 50 per cent. The programme, now referred to as Category C projects, is intended mainly for early-career researchers and allows them greater independence in choosing research topics and conducting their work.
Dou said nearly 90 per cent of lead researchers on NSFC-funded projects were young scientists, while 75 per cent of funding went to researchers under 45. He described China as being in a period of accelerated technological development that was producing a large pool of outstanding young researchers.
The funding agency is also seeking to attract young scientists from overseas. In late July, it issued a second call for applications to its Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Overseas), following an initial round earlier this year. Since the programme began in 2021, it has awarded individual grants of between 1 million and 3 million yuan to thousands of scientists under 40, including researchers born in China and those from overseas.
