Guidance for National Natural Science Foundation of China and European Commission’s “China-Europe Talent Project” in 2024
1. Project Description
(1) content of cooperation
This project supports China researchers to join the EU project team that has been funded by the European Research Council (ERC) for 3 to 12 months (see Annex 1 for the list of projects that agree to accept China researchers. According to EU legal requirements, Annex 1 does not provide European contact information, and applicants can consult the project contact person for European contact information).
(2) the intensity of funding
The intensity of Chinese funding does not exceed 30,000 yuan/item (direct cost, this project has no indirect cost), and it is only used for the international travel expenses of China researchers visiting Europe (air tickets are economy class). The living expenses and research funds of China researchers during their stay in Europe are paid by the EU project team.
(3) the funding period.
The research period in the application should be filled in from September 1, 2024 to February 28, 2026.
- Applicant conditions
According to the Measures for the Administration of International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation, the application for this project must meet the following conditions:
(1) The applicant must have a doctor’s degree, and be the host or main participant of the research project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (except the cooperation and exchange project) with a funding period of three years or more after December 31, 2025 (the main participant of the research project must have a senior professional and technical position/title or a doctor’s degree as the applicant, or be recommended by two scientific and technical personnel with senior professional and technical positions/titles in the same research field)
(2) The applicant should contact the EU project team that agreed to accept the researchers from China, and reach an agreement on the length of the visit, research contents, living expenses and research funds during their stay in Europe, and obtain an acceptance letter signed by the project leader of the other party (see Annex 2 for a reference sample).
(3) Please refer to the Project Guide of the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2024 for more detailed descriptions of the requirements of Chinese applicants.
3. Provisions on application for restricted items
(1) This project is an international (regional) cooperation and exchange project, and it is not restricted by the stipulation that the total number of projects applied and undertaken by senior professional and technical personnel is limited to two.
(2) Not subject to the restriction that the applicant can only apply for one project of the same type in the same year.
(3) as the applicant and as the person in charge of the project, the total number of talents projects in China and Europe is limited to one.
(4) Please refer to the Project Guide of the National Natural Science Foundation of China in 2024 for more explanations on the provisions on limited application.
- Application instructions
(1) Matters needing attention of the applicant.
The application for cooperation and exchange projects is written online, and the specific requirements for the applicant are as follows:
- Before completing the application, the applicant shall carefully read the relevant contents in this project guide and the 2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guide, and the project application that does not meet the project guide and relevant requirements will not be accepted.
- Applicants must log in to the Network Information System of the National Science Foundation of China (https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/) and fill in the Application for International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Project of the National Natural Science Foundation online. The specific steps are as follows:
(1) Select the “Project Leader” user group to log into the system, and then click “Online Application” to enter the application interface; Click “Apply for New Project” to enter the selection interface of the science department to which the applied project belongs, and click “Apply for the project of General Science Department” to enter the selection interface of project category.
(2) Click the + sign on the left or the “Expand” button on the right of “International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Projects” to expand the drop-down menu.
(3) Click the “Fill in Application” button on the right side of “Cooperation and Exchange (Inter-organization Agreement Project)” to enter the interface of selecting Cooperation Agreement, select “NSFC-ERC” in the drop-down menu, then enter the approval number of the project supported by the research fund according to the system requirements, and enter the specific application filling interface after passing the qualification certification.
- Budget compilation requirements. The applicant shall carefully read the contents of the budget compilation requirements in the application notes for the 2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guide, and carefully and truthfully compile the National Natural Science Foundation Project Fund Budget Table in strict accordance with the requirements of the Measures for the Management of Fund for Projects Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation (Cai Jiao [2021] No.177) and the Instructions for the Compilation of Fund Budget Table for National Natural Science Foundation Projects.
- Requirements of application materials. After completing the application, the applicant must also upload the scanned letter of acceptance from the EU project team (see Annex 2 for reference template) and submit it online with the electronic application as an attachment. The attached acceptance letter should cover the length of the visit, the research content, the arrangement of living and research expenses, etc., and be signed by the European project leader for confirmation. Project applications that fail to submit attachment materials as required will not be accepted.
(2) Receiving the project application.
The online application and receiving period of Chinese network information system is from February 5, 2024 to 16: 00 on May 14, 2024 (Beijing time).
Note: Applicants are requested to fill in the application in strict accordance with the requirements of this project guide. Project applications that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please call the project contact person.
5. Notice of approval result
The funding results will be notified through the network information system of NSFC.
6. Project Contact Person
Jie Shen
Tel: +86-10-62327017
E-mail address: shenjie@nsfc.gov.cn (please contact this e-mail address for European contact information).
Information System Technical Support (Information Center): +86-10-62317474