China to Fund Key Research Projects

China is ready to define a number of important frontier subjects and key research fields in contributing to its social economic development and national security as areas to be backed with funds for designated researches over a period of 5 and more years.

Chen Jiaer, director of China's State Natural Science Fund Committee, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences told lately that China will put forward 10 to 15 scientific fund key research projects during its "10th Five Year" plan period and will set about experimenting on related research projects this year.

Chen stressed on frontier research fields such as hi-tech industries, traditional industrial upgrading and sustainable development, especially life science, information technology, resource and environmental sciences that will receive special attention of the state.

Chen said that the fund project is the sublimation and integration of present projects at different levels, when carrying out the project, China will take international successful key science projects as reference and organize different subjects and research items at different levels under a unified general research target and direction. With academic exchanges between scientists and scientific research carried out according to plan, a "fine ecological environment" is to be created.

Sources say out of 60 key basic research projects there is already a percentage of 85% that has been placed under the support of scientific funds in China.

Please visit People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/