BEIJING, March 29 -- The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said Wednesday it would fund 11 major programs in various fields including agricultural science, technology and biotechnology this year, with a total investment of 190 million yuan (about 27.6 million U.S. dollars).

CAS hopes that the programs will boost the transformation and upgrading of related industries and generate direct economic and social benefits.

The move includes a program on the prevention and control of biological invasion at the the country's borders, including the establishment of a system to rapidly inspect, quarantine and identify species. A total of 10 million yuan will be invested in the program over an 18 month period.

The funds will also cover environmental and hi-tech programs, including one on natural disaster risk assessment and disaster reduction solutions in the China-PakistanEconomic Corridor, and another on the fifth-generation chips for the latest generation of mobile telecommunications.