The Central Government Has Allocated 500 Million Yuan in Special Funds to Subsidize Grassroots Units in Purchasing Scientific Research Equipment

The Ministry of Finance recently announced that the central government has allocated 500 million yuan in special funds for guiding local science and technology development in 2015. These funds will be used to subsidize the purchase of scientific research equipment and the maintenance and renovation of infrastructure for research institutions at the prefecture-level city level and above; and to subsidize the purchase of popular science equipment and the maintenance and renovation of infrastructure for science museums under the direct jurisdiction of county-level governments or science and technology departments and science associations.

It is understood that, in order to promote the construction of distinctive regional innovation systems and to leverage the supporting role of scientific and technological progress and innovation in regional economic and social development, the central government adjusted the original "Special Fund for Central Government Subsidies to Local Science and Technology Infrastructure" to the "Special Fund for Central Government Guiding Local Science and Technology Development" in 2011. A total of 2.5 billion yuan has been allocated to this fund, which has played an important role in supporting and guiding the development of local science and technology, improving the working conditions of local research institutions, and enhancing the level of local science popularization.