More money for young researchers but competition is stiff

Despite economic headwinds, China continues to prioritise basic research, increasing government spending by over 10% in 2024. However, soaring demand for research grants has far outpaced funding growth, leaving early-career researchers grappling with even fiercer competition for funds.

On 1 March, China's biggest funder of basic research, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NFSC) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, is to open its 2025 applications for its billion-dollar science fund.

New NSFC regulations, which came into effect on 1 January, established new priorities to strengthen support for major, original, and interdisciplinary innovation, nurture early-career researchers, encourage private sector involvement, and improve performance assessment in research funding.

The changes align with the NFSC’s reform plans from 2018, with the aim of overhauling the basic research funding system over a five- to 10-year timescale to meet China’s new science and technology goals. Reform efforts intensified under the leadership of space physicist Dou Xiankang, NFSC president since 2023.

At a time when global tech rivalry is centre stage, the government says young scientists have the potential to drive pioneering breakthroughs.

In recent remarks, Education Minister Huai Jinpeng urged universities to step up the pace of breakthroughs and discoveries, noting “original innovation” – major discoveries and technological inventions – was lacking.

Focus on early-career researchers

As part of the revamp, a new dedicated fund for young scientists pursuing basic research is being developed with details to be released at a later stage.

It builds on recent initiatives such as China’s Research Funding Programme for Students, which since 2023 has supported high-achieving university students to kick-start their research careers with grants of between CNY100,000 (about US$14,000) to CNY300,000 (about US$41,400).

Recognising that exceptional projects require longer-term support, the NFSC expanded its signature youth talent scheme, the Distinguished Youth Scientist Programme (DYS) (now renamed Young Scientists Fund [YSF] – Class A), which supports male researchers under the age of 45 and females under 48 who are able to demonstrate “high-quality outcomes” over five years.

Now, up to 20% of scholars currently receiving the DYS or YSF grants are eligible for further grants of CNY8 million (US$1.1 million) over five years.

“For young researchers, it is very important to have the support of the fund in the early stages of scientific research,” said Dr Yaoqi Li, an expert in plant ecology and an assistant professor at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in eastern Jiangsu Province.

“The direct impact is that it can pay for field and laboratory research, publication fees, and conference expenses, and it can also be used to support graduate students as research assistants, including their living allowances,” she told University World News.

Intense competition for funding

Government spending on basic research rose to CNY249.7 billion (US$34.4 billion) in 2024 – a 10.5% increase from the year before. However, applications for funds have rocketed, far outpacing the increase in spending.

In 2024, although the total allocated funds of the NFSC itself increased by 6.25% compared to 2023, applications grew by 26.36% the same year, according to NSFC data. The situation led to record low success rates for securing funding.

According to NFSC reports, only 13% of fund applicants were approved last year, compared to 16% in 2023 and 25.2% just over a decade ago. Across the three funding categories for young scholars – the YSF, DYS and the Excellent Young Scientists Fund – success rates also declined.

This is in stark contrast to the United States’ National Science Foundation, which has seen funding approvals rising from 22% of applications in 2013 to 28% in 2022.

However, reports indicate that the US agency’s annual budget – now at US$9 billion – could be slashed by the administration of US president Donald Trump. In 2023, the Chinese NSFC budget was CNY36.3 billion (approximately US$5.1 billion).

Expansion of doctoral programmes

A major driver of the surge in applications for NSFC grants in China is a steady expansion of postgraduate and doctoral programmes in relevant disciplines, according to several scholars who spoke to University World News anonymously.

“A lot of doctoral students around me have started to apply for the fund,” said Wang Juan (not her real name), a researcher in environmental engineering and sciences who previously benefitted from YSF funding.

“The applicant pool is really growing, even though many may not plan to continue scientific research after graduation,” she said.

“It may be that the market is sluggish and it is hard to find a job, so more people are going to graduate school to improve their academic qualifications,” another academic said, referring to the economic slowdown in China.

The number of newly enrolled doctoral and current doctoral students in China increased by 45% and 57%, respectively, according to 2019-2023 data released by the Ministry of Education.

The government also announced plans to boost the number of doctoral programmes in science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine, as well as in basic, emerging, and interdisciplinary fields, in line with its goals to produce high-end talent in strategic areas.

Career-building role of NFSC grants

Young scientists fear the mounting pressures for funds could be here to stay because securing NFSC grants also plays an important role in academic promotions, job security, and securing tenured positions.

“It’s a stepping stone to bianzhi,” said Professor Zhang Jian, a researcher at the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Ningbo, referring to the route from a contractual position to much sought-after permanent employment at state-owned or affiliated institutions.

After an unsuccessful first attempt last year, Zhang, a recent doctoral graduate, plans to reapply for a YSF grant. This year, he is focusing on energy storage batteries in his materials science and engineering project.

“I’ve switched the research topic, and perhaps my foundation is still weak,” Zhang said, noting that because of cutthroat competition, he does not feel hopeful.

The grants are not just critical for researchers’ career advancement; they are also considered a badge of honour, particularly the most coveted DYS grant.

In 2024, only 7.1% of applicants were successful in winning the DYS jackpot of CNY5 million (US$690,000) in grant money for individual scientists.

Some grantees have been criticised for resting upon their laurels after receiving the prestigious awards. The NFSC said in its annual review in 2021: “There are cases where some scholars no longer devote themselves to scientific research or turn to administrative work after receiving funding under the programme.”

Last month, the NFSC announced that from 2025, the three young talent schemes will be renamed “Young Scientists Fund (Class A), (Class B) and (Class C)”, doing away with the old titles of being a “Distinguished” or “Excellent” scholar.

This has been welcomed by early-career scientists. “When [one’s] research calibre reaches a certain level, it does not matter whether there is this title or not. It will already be well-known and would not need this kind of ‘endorsement’,” said Wang.

Expanded funding

With basic research funding in China still much lower than in countries such as the US, where the basic research budget was around US$45.4 billion in 2022 (approximately 24% of federal R&D spend), the NFSC is looking at more joint funding with enterprises and local governments under its new regulations.

“Local governments, enterprises, and other organisations are encouraged to invest funds in a joint funding model to establish an S&T innovation cooperation mechanism,” recent amendments stated.

In a positive signal, Chinese tech giant Tencent last week announced it had donated CNY500 million (US$6.9 million) to the NSFC.

The two sides said in a statement the gift would be for basic research by young students in doctoral programmes. It would also focus on supporting female scientists, those based in the less developed western regions of China, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, it said.

Tencent followed another tech giant, smartphone maker Xiaomi, which donated CNY100 million to the NFSC in March 2024. This marked a historic shift for the agency, being the first time ever in its almost 40-year history that it accepted philanthropic donations.