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.

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