Guidelines for 2024 Joint Research Projects between the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Research Foundation of Korea
- Project Description
1. Funding areas and application codes.
The funding area for the 2024 collaboration is “Preparing for the next pandemic – Antimicrobial Resistance”. For application code 1, please select the C or H sub-application code.
Applications that do not include the designated application code 1 as required will not be accepted.
2. Scale of funding
The number of projects to be funded is about 2.
3. Funding intensity
The Chinese funding intensity is no more than 2 million yuan per project (direct cost), including research funds and international cooperation and exchange funds, etc. NRF provides corresponding funding to Korean scientists.
4. Funding period
The funding period is 3 years, and the research period in the application should be filled in from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2027.
2. Applicant Requirements
According to the National Natural Science Foundation of China International (Regional) Collaborative Research Project Management Measures, applicants for this project must meet the following conditions:
(1) Chinese applicants should hold senior professional and technical positions (professional titles) and be currently undertaking or have undertaken a National Natural Science Foundation project of three years or longer as a project leader.
(2) The Korean partner should meet the NRF’s eligibility requirements for domestic applicants and submit an application to NRF in accordance with the requirements. Project applications submitted unilaterally will not be accepted.
(3) The number of domestic cooperative research units shall not exceed 2.
(4) The two parties have a good foundation for cooperation, and the project application should reflect strong cooperation and complementary advantages.
(5) For detailed information on application qualifications, please refer to the 2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guide.
3. Quota-limited application regulations
The National Natural Science Foundation International (Regional) Cooperation Research Project includes the Inter-Organization International (Regional) Cooperation Research Project (hereinafter referred to as the Inter-Organization Cooperation Research Project) and the Key International (Regional) Cooperation Research Project. This project belongs to the Inter-Organization Cooperation Research Project. Applicants must comply with the following restrictions when applying:
(1) Applicants can only apply for one international (regional) cooperative research project in the same year.
(2) Persons who are currently undertaking international (regional) cooperative research projects may not apply for this project as applicants.
(3) Applying for this project as an applicant and undertaking this project as a person in charge shall not be counted in the total number of projects that can be applied for and undertaken by personnel with senior professional and technical positions (titles), which is limited to 2.
(4) Other restrictions on the number of applications in the 2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guidelines.
4. Application Instructions
1. Notes for applicants
1. Before filling out the application form, applicants should carefully read the relevant contents of this project guide and the “2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guide”. Project applications that do not comply with the project guide and relevant requirements will not be accepted.
2. Chinese applicants must log in to the National Natural Science Foundation Network Information System (https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/) and fill in the “National Natural Science Foundation International (Regional) Cooperation Research Project Application Form” (i.e. “Chinese Application Form”) online. The specific steps are as follows:
(1) Select the “Project Leader” user group to log in to the system. After logging in, click “Apply Online” to enter the application interface. Click the “New Project Application” button to enter the scientific department selection interface for the application project. Click “Apply for General Scientific Department Project” to 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 the “Fill in the application” button to the right of “Inter-organizational collaborative research” to enter the “Please select a collaboration agreement” interface. Select “NSFC-NRF (China and South Korea)” from the drop-down menu. Then enter the approval number of the fund project to be supported as required by the system. After passing the qualification certification, you will enter the specific Chinese application form filling interface.
3. Budget preparation requirements. Applicants should carefully read the budget preparation requirements in the application instructions of the 2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guide, and strictly follow the requirements of the National Natural Science Foundation Project Fund Management Measures (Finance and Education [2021] No. 177) and the National Natural Science Foundation Project Fund Budget Preparation Instructions to prepare the National Natural Science Foundation Project Fund Budget Table conscientiously and truthfully.
4. Attachment materials. The applicant should write an English application together with the Korean collaborator (the English application template is shown in Attachment 1), upload it to the “Attachment” column of the Chinese application and submit it together. The basic content of the Chinese and English application forms must be consistent, and the English name of the project should be exactly the same as the project name in the English application form.
Project applications that fail to submit the above attached materials as required will not be accepted.
5. Application materials requirements. After completing the application, the applicant shall submit the electronic application and attached materials online. There is no need to submit a paper application. After the project is approved, the paper signed and sealed page of the application shall be bound to the end of the Funding Project Plan and submitted together. The signature and sealed information shall be strictly consistent with the electronic application.
- Cooperation Agreement. After the project is approved, the applicant must sign a cooperation agreement with the Korean partner (see Appendix 2 for the template).
- Matters needing attention by the supporting unit.
The supporting unit shall review the authenticity, completeness and compliance of the application materials submitted by the applicants of the unit, and the target relevance, policy compliance and economic rationality of the budget application. The supporting unit shall submit the electronic version of the application form and attached materials of the unit before the specified project application deadline. Please upload the project application list of the unit through the Science Foundation Network Information System, and no paper version is required.
Regarding the submission of the unit’s scientific research integrity commitment letter and other matters, please refer to the “Notice on the Application and Completion of the National Natural Science Foundation Project in 2024 and Other Related Matters” (only one upload is required this year).
3. Acceptance of project applications
Application deadline：August 23, 2024 at 16:00 (Beijing time).
4. Project Contact Person
1. Chinese contact person
International Cooperation Bureau: Zhang Le, Rong Nianhe
Tel: +86-10-6232 8404, 62326998
Email: zhangle@nsfc.gov.cn, rongnh@nsfc.gov.cn
International Research Funding Department: Lai Ying
Tel: 010-6232 5430
Email: laiying@nsfc.gov.cn
Information System Technical Support (Information Center): +86-10-62317474
2. Korean contact person
Ms. CHO Eunhye
Email: grace292@nrf.re.kr