2024 National Natural Science Foundation of China and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Global Health Collaborative Research Project Guidelines
1. Project Description
(1) Funding areas.
1. Innovation in RNA vaccines in global health
By optimizing the RNA-based vaccine technology platform, we will improve the protective efficacy and protection time of vaccines to promote the research and development of preventive vaccines for key infectious diseases in the global health field (including but not limited to malaria vaccines, tuberculosis vaccines, etc.). Choose from the following three directions: one:
(1) Model technologies that can predict vaccine effectiveness and safety, such as technologies to enhance mRNA modification and computer-aided antigen design;
(2) New RNA vaccine technologies, such as self-replicating RNA vaccines (saRNA), circular RNA vaccines (cRNA), and multi-target/combination vaccines;
(3) New RNA vaccine delivery technologies, such as LNP adjuvant integration technology, 2-8°C and 40°C heat stabilization technology, and non-LNP mRNA delivery technology.
2. Innovative vaccine controlled release technology
Innovative vaccine controlled release technology for one of the following three use cases:
(1) Through programmed distribution release after one-time injection, the effects of primary vaccination and boosting are achieved;
(2) After vaccine injection, the vaccine ingredients are slowly and continuously released within 2-3 weeks, in order to improve the immune response of vaccines with poor immune effects, such as HIV and malaria;
(3) Encapsulate different antigen components in their respective microenvironments to create a new combined vaccine.
Please see Appendix 1 for descriptions of funding areas in both Chinese and English.
For detailed project announcements from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, please see the WeChat public account of the Gates Foundation.
(2) Application code.
Applicants should choose the Department of Medical Sciences code H1111 as application code 1 to fill out the Chinese application form based on the research content.
(3) Funding scale.
The funding scale of this collaborative research project is about 6 projects.
(4) Funding intensity.
Both parties will jointly fund Chinese researchers to conduct collaborative research. Funds funded by both parties will be allocated to the Chinese applicant, who will make overall arrangements based on the needs of cooperative research.
China’s funding intensity for approved projects is that direct costs do not exceed 1.5 million yuan, including research funds and international cooperation and exchange expenses. The budget of the Chinese application should be prepared in accordance with the funding amount of the Natural Science Foundation of China, that is, the total budget should not exceed 1.5 million yuan per project, and the use plan of the Gates Foundation funding should be stated at the same time.
The funding intensity of the Gates Foundation is no more than US$200,000, including research funds, international cooperation and exchange expenses, and expenses for conducting research activities with foreign collaborators. The Gates Foundation’s funding will be converted into RMB based on the current exchange rate on the payment date and paid to the domestic RMB account of the recipient’s supporting institution. The project budget for English applications should be prepared based on the total funding amount of both institutions.
(5) Declaration requirements.
1. The funding period is 3 years. The research period in the application should be from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027.
2. The number of domestic cooperative research units shall not exceed 2.
3. Chinese applicants must submit applications to NSFC and BMGF respectively, while foreign partners do not need to submit applications to NSFC and BMGF. Project applications submitted only to unilateral institutions will not be accepted.
4. For project applications involving scientific and technological ethics and scientific and technological security (such as biosecurity, information security, etc.), applicants and major participants should strictly implement relevant national laws, regulations and ethical standards, and upload electronic scans of corresponding attachment materials as required.
2. Application conditions
According to the “National Natural Science Foundation of China International (Regional) Collaborative Research Project Management Measures”, application for this project must meet the following conditions:
(1) Possess senior professional and technical positions (professional titles).
(2) As a project leader, you are currently undertaking or have undertaken a National Natural Science Foundation project of three years or more.
(3) Have a good foundation for cooperation with foreign partners.
(4) For detailed instructions on application qualifications, please refer to the “2024 National Natural Science Foundation of China Project Guide”.
According to the consensus reached by both parties, this project encourages female researchers and young researchers aged 45 and under to apply .
3. Restricted Application Regulations
The National Natural Science Foundation of China’s international (regional) collaborative research projects include inter-organizational international (regional) collaborative research projects and key international (regional) collaborative research projects. This collaborative research project is an international (regional) collaborative research project between organizations. Applicants must comply with the following restrictions when applying:
(1) Applicants (excluding major participants) can only apply for one international (regional) cooperative research project in the same year.
(2) Persons in charge of international (regional) cooperative research projects are not allowed to apply as applicants for the cooperative research projects listed in this guide.
(3) This project is not included in the total number of applications and projects undertaken by senior professional and technical personnel (titles), which is limited to 2 projects in total.
(4) Other restrictions on the number of applications in the “2024 National Natural Science Foundation of China Project Guide”.
4. Application notes
(1) Notes for applicants.
Applications for international (regional) cooperative research projects between organizations are written online. The specific requirements for applicants are as follows:
1. Applicants should carefully read the relevant content in this project guide and the “2024 National Natural Science Foundation of China Project Guide” before filling in the application form. Project applications that do not meet the project guide and relevant requirements will not be accepted .
2. Applicants log in to the Science Fund Network Information System (https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/) and write the “National Natural Science Foundation of China International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Project Application” (below Referred to as “Chinese application form”). The specific steps are:
(1) Select the “Project Director” user group to log in to the system, click “Online Application” to enter the application interface; click the “Add Project Application” button to enter the selection interface of the science department to which the application project belongs; click “Apply for General Science Department Project” “Enter the project category selection interface.
(2) Click the + sign on the left side of “International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Projects” or the “Expand” button on the right side to expand the drop-down menu.
(3) Click “Fill in Application” on the right side of “Inter-Organization Cooperation Research (Inter-Organization Cooperation Agreement Project)” to enter the “Cooperation Agreement” selection interface, select “NSFC-BMGF (China and the United States)” in the drop-down menu, and then press The system requires you to enter the approval number of the fund project you want to rely on. After passing the qualification certification, you will enter the specific application form filling interface.
3. Inter-organizational collaborative research projects are funded by fixed subsidies. Applicants should carefully read the budget preparation requirements in the application instructions of the “2024 National Natural Science Foundation of China Project Guide” and strictly follow the “National Natural Science Foundation of China Fund Management Measures (Caijiao [2021] No. 177)” and the “National Natural Science Foundation of China”. In accordance with the requirements of the “Instructions for Preparation of the Natural Science Foundation Project Fund Budget Table”, the “National Natural Science Foundation Project Fund Budget Table” must be carefully and truthfully prepared.
4. Application material requirements. After the applicant completes the writing of the application, he or she can submit the electronic application and attached materials online without submitting a paper application. After the project is approved, the applicant must bind the signed and stamped paper pages of the cooperation agreement and application form at the end of the “Funded Project Plan” and submit them together . The information signed and stamped should be consistent with the electronic application form.
Attachment materials include:
(1) A copy of the English application submitted to the Gates Foundation (see attachment 2 for the template).
(2) Cooperation agreement. Both parties must reach an agreement on cooperation content, intellectual property rights and other issues, and sign a cooperation agreement (see Appendix 3 for writing instructions).
(3) Letter of commitment from the supporting unit to review and strictly abide by the regulations on the management of human genetic resources (if involved).
(4) Ethics review certificate from the ethics committee of the unit where you work or the superior unit (if relevant).
5. The English name of this collaborative research project filled in the Chinese application form must be exactly the same as the English project name in the English application form.
6. Applicants who receive funding must abide by the relevant terms of the Gates Foundation’s “Global Access”, that is, ensuring that projects funded by the Gates Foundation and the products, services, process technologies, materials, software, data and other products generated Innovations that will have a positive impact on the underserved populations targeted by the Gates Foundation’s work. The knowledge and information gained from project funding will be timely and widely disseminated and made available to Gates Foundation beneficiaries, and the development results of the funding will be provided at a reasonable and affordable price.
(2) Things to note by the supporting unit.
The host unit shall review the authenticity, completeness and compliance of the application materials submitted by its applicant, as well as the goal relevance, policy consistency and economic rationality of the declared budget. This project is included in the scope of paperless application. For matters such as unit scientific research integrity commitment letter and project list submission, please refer to the “Notice on 2024 National Natural Science Foundation of China Project Application and Finalization and Other Related Matters”.
(3) Acceptance of project applications.
The online application deadline for the Science Fund Network Information System (GRANTS System) is 16:00 pm on June 28, 2024 (Beijing time).
5. Project contact person
(1) Chinese contact person.
Tang Rongda
Tel: 010-62327145
Email: tangrd@nsfc.gov.cn
Information system technical support (Information Center): 010-62317474.
(2) Contact person of the Gates Foundation.
Sun Bo
Tel: 010-84547565
Email: bo.sun@gatesfoundation.org