Notice of the Ministry of Science and Technology on Issuing the guidance for the application of the key special project of the national key R&D plan “Synthetic Biology” in 2023

Notice of the Ministry of Science and Technology on Issuing the guidance for the application of the key special project of the national key R&D plan “Synthetic Biology” in 2023

I. Project organization and application workflow

1. The application unit is organized in the form of a project based on the research content of the direction supported by the guide. The project should be applied as a whole and should cover all the assessment indicators of the corresponding direction of the guide. The project application unit recommends one researcher as the project leader.
2. Focus on the tasks of the guidelines, integrate the advantageous innovation team, focus on the strengths and joint research. Encourage capable female researchers as project (topic) leaders to take charge of the task, and actively involve female researchers in the project research.
3. The evaluation of the national key R&D program project application takes two steps: filling in the pre-application form and the official application form, and the specific workflow is as follows.

–Project application unit according to the relevant application requirements of the guidelines, through the National Science and Technology Management Information System (http://service.most.gov.cn) to fill out and submit a pre-application of about 3,000 words, detailing the objectives and indicators of the applied project, briefly explain the innovative ideas, technology and research basis and attach the requirements of the guidelines. The pre-submission form should be completed and submitted in about 3000 words, detailing the objectives and targets of the applied project, briefly describing the innovative idea, technical route and research basis and attaching the relevant annexes required by the guidelines. From the date of publication of the guidelines to the deadline of acceptance of the pre-submission form is not less than 50 days.

–The project reporting unit should sign a joint application agreement with all participating units and specify the time of signing the agreement; the project lead reporting unit, the subject reporting unit, the project leader and the subject leader should sign a letter of commitment to integrity, and the project lead reporting unit and all participating units should implement the “Opinions on Further Strengthening the Construction of Scientific Research Integrity”. Some Opinions” and “Opinions on Further Promoting the Scientist’s Spirit and Strengthening the Construction of Style and Academic Style” requirements, strengthen the review of the application materials, eliminate exaggerated and untrue, and strictly prohibit falsification.

–Recommendation units strengthen the review and control of the recommended project application materials, and submit the recommended projects through the National Science and Technology Management Information System on time.

— China Science and Technology Exchange Center, after accepting the project pre-application, organizes the formal review and carries out the first round of evaluation work. To ensure a reasonable degree of competition, for a single guideline direction of non-directional application, if the number of applied teams is not more than the number of projects to be supported, the guideline direction will not start the subsequent project review and establishment procedures, and the guidelines will be re-researched and released at a later date. The first round of evaluation does not require the project leader to defend. According to the results of the expert review, 3 to 4 times the number of projects to be applied will be selected to enter the next round of defense review. For projects that do not enter the defense review, the review results will be timely feedback to the project application unit and the person in charge.

–After receiving the notification from the China Science and Technology Exchange Center on the entry of the defense review, the reporting unit fills out and submits the official project application through the National Science and Technology Management Information System. The official application form will be accepted for not less than 20 days.

— China Science and Technology Exchange Center conducts formal review of the formal application of projects entering the formal evaluation and organizes the defense evaluation. The person in charge of the applied project will defend the report via web video. According to the results of the expert evaluation, the project will be established on the basis of merit.

II. Organization of the application of the recommended unit

1. the relevant departments of the State Council departments and bureaus in charge of science and technology;
2. provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, municipalities under the plan and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in charge of science and technology departments;
3. the former industrial sector converted to the establishment of industry associations;
4. industrial technology innovation strategy alliances included in the pilot scope of the Ministry of Science and Technology and evaluated as Class A, as well as the pilot alliances of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Finance for the innovative development of the science and technology service industry.

Each recommended unit should be recommended within the scope of the unit’s functions and operations, and is responsible for the authenticity of the recommended projects. The relevant departments of the State Council recommend units with business guidance relationship with them, industry associations and strategic alliances of industrial technology innovation and pilot alliances of science and technology service industry innovation and development recommend their members, and provincial science and technology departments recommend units within their administrative districts. The list of recommended units has been publicly released on the National Science and Technology Management Information System.

III. Application of eligibility requirements

1. Project lead reporting units and participating units should be registered in mainland China, such as research institutes, universities and enterprises, with independent legal personality, registered before June 30, 2022, with strong scientific and technological research and development capabilities and conditions, a good basis for international cooperation, and standardized operation and management. State organs shall not lead or participate in the application.

Project lead reporting units, project participating units and project team members in good faith, no serious scientific research breach of trust within the disciplinary implementation period and the relevant social areas of credit “blacklist” records.

The same project can only be applied by a single recommended unit, not multiple applications and duplicate applications.

2. The person in charge of the project (subject) must have a senior title or doctorate degree, born after January 1, 1963, and spend at least 6 months working on the project each year.
3. The person in charge of the project (subject) should, in principle, be the proposer of the main research idea of the project (subject) and the actual scientific and technical personnel leading the research. Central and local state organs at all levels of public officials (including the exercise of science and technology program management functions of other personnel) may not apply the project (subject).
4. The person in charge of the project (subject) is limited to apply one project (subject); the person in charge of the ongoing research projects of the National Key Research and Development Program, Science and Technology Innovation 2030 – major projects shall not lead or participate in the application of the project (subject). The person in charge of the project can participate in the application of the project (subject).

The total number of applied projects (topics) of project (subject) leaders and project backbone and the total number of projects (topics) under research of the National Key R&D Program and Science and Technology Innovation 2030-Major Project shall not exceed 2; the project (subject) leaders and project backbone of the National Key R&D Program and Science and Technology Innovation 2030-Major Project under research shall not be withdrawn from the project (subject) due to The project leader and project leader of the national key R&D program and science and technology innovation 2030 – major project may not withdraw from the research project due to the application of new projects. After withdrawing from the project R & D team, in principle, during the implementation period of the original project may not lead or participate in the application of new national key R & D program projects.

The central government’s special funds budget does not exceed 4 million yuan for “international science and technology innovation cooperation between governments” key special projects, the central government’s special funds budget does not exceed 4 million yuan for “strategic science and technology innovation cooperation” key special projects in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and this There is no limit to the number of projects in this batch of guidelines. The total number of projects (topics) in charge of the project and the backbone of the project is not more than 2 (including the above-mentioned unlimited projects).

The projects (including tasks or topics) under study before December 31, 2023 are not limited to the implementation period of the plan task book (including the implementation period after extension).

5. Experts involved in the implementation plan of the key special projects or the preparation of this year’s project guidelines, in principle, cannot apply the key special projects (topics).
6. Foreign scientists and scientists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who are employed in mainland units can be responsible for the project (subject). Full-time employed persons must be provided with valid documents of full-time employment by the mainland employing units, and part-time employed persons must be provided with valid documents of employment by both units and submitted together with the project application materials.
7. After the acceptance of the applied project, in principle, the reporting unit and the person in charge cannot be changed.
8. The content and mode of project cooperation should be in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of China and the countries (regions, international organizations) where the cooperating institutions are located and the relevant regulations of scientific research ethics. For collaborative activities that require prior review and approval, such as those involving human genetic resources or germplasm resources, the applicant must comply with the relevant domestic review and approval procedures in accordance with the laws and regulations. Only after all necessary procedures are completed can the project be formally established.

There is a clear agreement or intentional agreement between the cooperating parties on the ownership of future intellectual property rights and income from the transformation of results, and the relevant provisions of Chinese laws and regulations on the ownership of intellectual property rights and income from the transformation of results are complied with (the intellectual property rights agreement or intentional agreement, memorandum, letter of attestation or the relevant provisions of intellectual property rights are required to be attached or specified in the Sino-foreign cooperation agreement).

9. Chinese units must clarify the following requirements with the foreign partner institutions and personnel: the foreign project leader shall not cooperate with different units in China for the same research direction and technical line to participate in multiple applications, and his total number of projects applied as the foreign project leader and participation in projects under research shall not exceed two. Foreign scientists who have been employed in the Mainland to participate in the National Key Research and Development Program, Science and Technology Innovation 2030 – major projects in the research projects (topics), may not participate in the application as foreign personnel.
10. The specific requirements of the project application are detailed in the project application guide.

Each reporting unit can use the national science and technology management information system to check the status of the relevant scientific researchers undertaking the national key research and development programs, science and technology innovation 2030 – major projects in research projects (including tasks or issues) before formally submitting the project application, to avoid duplication of application.

IV. Specific application methods

1. Online filing. Please fill in the application online through the National Science and Technology Management Information System. China Science and Technology Exchange Center will use the online application as the basis for subsequent formal review and project evaluation. All the annexes required in the application materials will be uploaded in electronic scanned copies.

The project application unit online filing pre-application acceptance time is: July 19, 2023 8:00 to August 17 16:00. After the first round of evaluation of the applied projects, the application unit to fill out the formal application and submit through the National Science and Technology Management Information System, the specific time and related requirements will be notified.

2. Technical consultation telephone and e-mail:

010-58882999 (trunk line), program@istic.ac.cn.

3. Telephone for Synthetic Biology: 010-88225176