China Making Five-year Plan for Natural Science Fund
China has started to work on its tenth five-year plan (2000-2005) and a long-term program to 2010 to improve funding for natural science and basic research programs, according to Chen Jia'er, director of the State Natural Science Fund Committee (SNSFC).
Chen, also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said priorities will be given to research fields in which China has already gained a position in international academic circles. The science foundation will also strengthen support to innovative research subjects, Chen emphasized.
In addition, the natural science fund will make efforts to promote inter-disciplinary studies.
Biotechnology, information science, China's water problem in the 21st century, global change, agricultural sustainable development, physics and other topics have been listed as priorities for discussion.
China has started to work on its tenth five-year plan) and a long-term program to 2010 to improve funding for natural science and basic research programs.
