China has earmarked a total of 230 million yuan (US$ 27.7 million) over the past four years to train people in the basic sciences, according to the State Natural Science Fund Committee (SNSFC).

The funds were used to train those majoring in 83 basic sciences, six special subjects, and six key science projects at 39universities across China, said Wang Naiyan, vice director of SNSFC.

The teaching conditions and laboratory facilities were greatly improved at the funded universities, and money to purchase books for the universities was ensured.

An increasing number of outstanding students now want to study in fields supported by these funds, and several undergraduates have published papers in academic journals included in the Science Citation Index (SCI) with the help of the funds.

China established the state foundation for training basic science talent in 1996, and part of the plan is the offer of 300 million yuan from 1996 to 2000 to train students in these fields.

Over 91 percent of the funds were used to set up training bases in the fields of agriculture, medicine, and other sciences, with a smaller proportion of the funds supporting talent in key science projects, according to Wang.