Over 3.8 Billion Yuan! The First Batch of Proposed Projects for the 2017 National Key R&d Program Has Been Announced!

On May 24, 2017, the National Science and Technology Management Information System Public Service Platform officially announced the list of proposed projects for the 2017 National Key R&D Program, comprising eight key special projects. These eight special projects, primarily focused on the agricultural sector, included 140 projects with a total funding exceeding 3.8 billion yuan.

The New National Key R&D Program

China's existing scientific research system has long suffered from problems such as duplication and fragmentation in its science and technology programs. To address this issue and improve the efficiency of fiscal fund utilization, the State Council launched a reform of the national science and technology program management in 2014. The plan aimed to complete the main reform tasks by the end of 2016, consolidating the original 100+ science and technology programs into five major categories: the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Science and Technology Major Projects, the National Key R&D Program, the Technology Innovation Guidance Project (Fund), and the Base and Talent Projects.

Following the 2014 national science and technology system reform, the original National 973 Program, National 863 Program, Science and Technology Support Program, and related programs from various ministries were integrated to form the current National Key R&D Program. In late 2015 and early 2016, the State Council launched the review process for pilot and key projects under the 2016 National Key Research and Development Program. The Ministry of Science and Technology approved 1,172 projects across 6 pilot projects and 36 key projects, with a total funding of approximately 27.8 billion yuan.

Eight key agricultural projects were the first to be approved. Today, the first batch of eight key agricultural projects were announced, with 140 projects from 91 institutions selected, receiving over 3.8 billion yuan in central government funding. The leading institutions are mainly concentrated in key agricultural universities and research institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Among universities, China Agricultural University leads by a wide margin, leading 11 projects with 278 million yuan in central government funding. Huazhong Agricultural University ranks second with 6 projects and 175 million yuan in funding. Nanjing Agricultural University ranks third with 5 projects and over 130 million yuan in funding. Shenyang Agricultural University, Jiangnan University, Sichuan Agricultural University, Hunan Agricultural University and other universities performed well, with the central government funding for their leading projects exceeding 50 million yuan.