The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) unite international scientific organizations and research funding agencies to launch the “International Cooperation Science Program for Sustainable Development”

You could visit their official website for more information: “可持续发展国际合作科学计划”2024年度项目指南

Priority Areas:

1. The Science Program aims to collaborate with relevant countries and regions in the fields of science and the humanities to select typical socio-ecological systems focusing on sustainable development goals (SDGs) to provide scientific decision-making support for the sustainable development of the related countries and regions.
2. This guideline focuses on funding two key areas, more details about these two areas, please refer to the official website: “可持续发展国际合作科学计划”2024年度项目指南
   1. The Dynamics and Sustainable Development of Typical Socio-Ecological Systems. 典型社会-生态系统动力学与可持续发展

1. Socio-Ecological Systems in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions
2. Socio-Ecological Systems in Plateau and Mountainous Regions

• Socio-Ecological Systems in Karst Regions

1. Socio-Ecological Systems in Coastal Regions and/or Coastal Cities

1. 1. Research Aimed at the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. 面向联合国2030可持续发展目标的研究

1. Biodiversity and Sustainable Development
2. Agricultural Security and Sustainable Development

• Energy Resource Security and Sustainable Development

1. Theories, Technologies, and Methods for Innovative Research in Sustainable Development Science and Practice

What to Fund and Funding Plans: approximately 15 “Capacity Building Projects” and around 20 “Key Projects” are planned for funding.

1. Funding Types and Scales
   1. “Capacity Building Projects” aim to support the development of cooperative relationships between domestic and international researchers and to facilitate capacity building.
   2. “Key Projects” are intended to fund collaborative research between domestic and international researchers in selected fields, jointly develop outstanding scientific talent, address scientific issues behind regional challenges, propose pathways and strategies for achieving SDGs that balance ecology, resources, and socioeconomics, and provide scientific decision-making support for sustainable development in relevant countries and regions.
2. Funding Level
   1. Capacity Building Projects: up to RMB 600,000 per project (direct cost)
   2. Key Projects:

1. Dynamics and Sustainable Development of Typical Socio-Ecological Systems: up to RMB 2,000,000 per project (direct cost)
2. Research Aimed at the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals: up to RMB 3,000,000 per project (direct cost)

1. Duration: the funding period is 3 years. In the application, the research duration should be specified as January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2027.

Proposal Selection Criteria:

1. Project applications should aim to achieve the United Nations SDGs, focusing on research based on the main elements and interactions of environmental and socio-economic systems.
2. Research content should address relevant scientific issues and the scientific challenges of sustainable development in developing countries, with a clear focus on the dynamics and sustainable development of environmental and socio-economic systems related to the SDGs.
3. Exploratory research in cutting-edge fields is encouraged, with priority given to studies involving innovative new concepts, theories, methods, and technologies.
4. During project execution, emphasis should be placed on the training of young talent and the establishment of international cooperation networks (especially multilateral cooperation).
5. Collaboration between research teams from different disciplinary fields is encouraged to promote interdisciplinary integration.
6. For more requirements, please refer to the website: “可持续发展国际合作科学计划”2024年度项目指南

Eligibility:

1. The Chinese applicant should hold a title of associate professor or above and must be currently leading or have previously led a National Natural Science Foundation project with a duration of 3 years or more.
2. The foreign collaborator should be engaged in scientific research abroad, hold a professional or technical position equivalent to an associate professor or higher in their country (or location), and independently lead a laboratory or significant research projects.
3. The number of domestic collaborating research institutions should not exceed 2.
4. Please refer to the website for more information via: “可持续发展国际合作科学计划”2024年度项目指南

Quota Requirements:

1. For “Key Projects” under the primary funding direction (2) Research Aimed at the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the project counts towards the limit of 2 projects for personnel with senior professional or technical positions (this limit applies only to those applying as the principal investigator).
2. Applicants can only apply for one international (or regional) collaborative research project per year.
3. A person who is currently leading an international (or regional) collaborative research project cannot apply as the principal investigator for another international (or regional) collaborative research project.
4. Please refer to <NSFC 2024 Guidelines> for more details of quota requirements.

Application Process:

1. Apply online through https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn. Please log into your personal account and fill out the application. If you do not have a personal account, please contact RSO and we will create one for you.
2. PI needs to fill out different forms for specific programs, please refer to: “可持续发展国际合作科学计划”2024年度项目指南 for details.

Language: Chinese

Internal Deadline: 12:00 pm, Friday, September 27, 2024

If you are interested in applying for this funding opportunity, please submit your proposals via NSFC system by the internal deadline.

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