The National Natural Science Foundation and the National Social Science Foundation represent China's two highest-level scientific funding programs. Nationwide in scope, they primarily support researchers from universities and research institutions with strong research capabilities and facilities. These two complementary funding systems form the main channel for supporting basic research in China's scientific field, each with distinct emphases.
Established in 1986 with State Council approval, the National Natural Science Foundation has consistently focused on supporting basic research. Emphasizing fundamental studies, cutting-edge exploration, and talent development, it promotes innovative teams and interdisciplinary collaboration. The foundation has developed a comprehensive funding framework comprising four major series: Exploration, Talent, Instrumentation, and Integration. The Exploration Series includes the General Program, Key Program, and Emergency Management Projects. The Talent Series encompasses the Youth Science Fund, Regional Science Fund, Excellent Young Scientists Fund, National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, Innovative Research Groups, and programs for overseas scholars. The Instrumentation Series features major national scientific instrument development projects and foundational data platform construction. The Integration Series incorporates major research programs, joint funds, international cooperation projects, and science center initiatives.
Established in 1991, the National Social Science Foundation prioritizes major theoretical and practical issues in China's reform, opening-up, and socialist modernization. It explores development patterns of socialist economics, politics, and culture with Chinese characteristics, emphasizing basic research, emerging interdisciplinary fields, and promoting theoretical innovation. The foundation supports preservation efforts for valuable historical and cultural heritage. Its funding system comprises six categories: Major Projects, Annual Projects, Special Commission Projects, Post-Funding Projects, Western Region Projects, and Chinese Academic Translation Projects.
With substantial support since their inception, both foundations have witnessed continuous growth in funding volume, expanding coverage and influence. The disciplinary coverage and project categories have been progressively enriched, with management systems increasingly refined. They have yielded numerous profound research achievements and cultivated generations of accomplished discipline leaders. The guiding, authoritative, and exemplary role of these programs and their outcomes has become increasingly prominent.
National fund projects contain extensive unexplored information resources: project themes reveal academic hotspots and societal development trends; output quantities and awards reflect China's scientific evaluation systems and research progress; researcher characteristics illuminate talent distribution and team development patterns.
The National Fund Project Database developed by CnOpenData includes all Natural Science and Social Science Foundation projects through 2019. Beyond project information, it encompasses detailed principal investigator profiles, institutional data, and research outputs, providing comprehensive data resources for related studies.
Database Usage Guide
Reprint: Public Funding and the Ascent of Science: Evidence from China's National Natural Science Foundation
Time Coverage
Includes all National Social Science Foundation projects prior to 2019.07.15; Natural Science Foundation data from 1987.01-2021.12
Field Description
National Social Science Foundation Project Fields
Sample Data
National Social Science Foundation Project Data
National Natural Science Foundation Data
National Natural Science Foundation Project Application Form
Completed Project Details
Completed Project Output Information
Completed Project Participant Information
Related Literature
- Lin Yuxin & Liu Yi, 2023, "Examining Reverse Incentives in Basic Research Funding", The Journal of Quantitative & Technical Economics 11.
- Ye Jingjing et al., 2021, "Innovation Transformation of Basic Research Investment: Evidence from NSFC Funding", China Economic Quarterly 11.
- Ren Zhiguang & Wang Hui, 2021, "Funding Patterns and Trends in Economic Sciences During the 13th Five-Year Period", Journal of Management Science 3.
- Hu, A.G.Z., 2020, "Public funding and the ascent of Chinese science: Evidence from the National Natural Science Foundation of China", Research Policy.
- Tang Xianming et al., 2010, "Policy Effectiveness of NSFC Regional Science Fund", Journal of Management Science 12.
Update Frequency
Annual updates