The NSFC has initiated NSFC-RGC/FDCT joint research program 2021. Details of application requirements are as follows:

1. Funding fields

For NSFC-RGC program, including Information science, biological science, new materials science, marine and environmental science, medical science and management science.

For NSFC-FDCT program, including Information science, traditional Chinese medicine research, marine science, environmental science, biological science, new materials science.

2. Funding amount and duration

For NSFC-RGC program, the duration is four years with the maximum funding intensity 1 million yuan per project(direct cost).

※ The start time in application form should be January 1, 2022 and finish time should be December 31, 2025

For NSFC-FDCT program, the duration is three years with the maximum funding intensity 2 million yuan per project(direct cost).

※ The start time in application form should be January 1, 2022 and finish time should be December 31, 2024

3.  Eligibility of applicants

A. Applicants shall meet the following qualifications:

(1) Have senior academic title;

(2) Applicant must be a PI in a NSFC research grant (ongoing or completed) with a duration of at least 3 years;

(3) If applicant is funded by the International (Regional) Joint Research project as the PI, he or she can’t apply for this program as PI before project completed.

B. Applicants and overseas cooperators shall apply for the project to NSFC and RGC/FDCT respectively. Unilateral application shall be invalid.

4. Procedure of application

Online application

Applicants shall fill out application forms online via the application system ( https://isisn.nsfc.gov.cn/ ). Please find more details of system operating steps as attached(Annex 1 or Annex 2)

※ For applicants who have no application account, please send your name, academic title, email address, telephone number to kevingao@cuhk.edu.cn by Dec. 31, 2020 to open account.

Paperless submission

In the stage of submission, applicants shall only submit online application, without submitting any hard copies.

5. Other requirements

A. Application limit

• This program isn’t subject to the total number limit;

• The total number of NSFC-RGC/FDCT program a researcher applies for as PI shall not exceed one.

B. Applicants with overseas identity who are employed at CUHK(SZ) can’t apply for or participate in this program both as the international collaborator and domestic researcher at the same time;

C. The domestic collaborative institutions involved shall not exceed 2 in number;

D. Please refer the Annex 3-outline to complete the proposal;

E. Proposal shall be written in Chinese;

F. Applicants shall upload the following supplementary documents:

• Agreement signed by applicant and Hong Kong/Macao cooperators;

• Application forms which Hong Kong/Macao cooperators submitted to RGC or FDCT.

G. Applicant shall read the application guide(Annex 1 or Annex 2) carefully for more specific requirements.

6. Deadline

Applicant shall submit application form online by 18:00 on Feb. 1, 2021, without submitting any hard copies.

Contact information

Gao Shang       kevingao@cuhk.edu.cn