National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and The Scientific and Belgium Fund for Scientific Research – FNRS (Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique) are calling for proposals for collaborative research projects.

You could visit their official website for more information: 2025年度国家自然科学基金委员会与比利时法语区基础研究基金会合作交流项目指南

Budget Total:

• The funding support from the Chinese side is up to 100,000 RMB per project, while the funding support from FNRS is up to 15,000 EUR per project.
• The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) will cover international travel expenses (economy-class airfare) for Chinese researchers visiting Belgium, as well as accommodation, meals, and intercity transportation costs during their stay in Belgium. FNRS will cover international travel expenses for Belgian researchers visiting China, along with accommodation, meals, and intercity transportation costs during their stay in China.

What to fund:

• Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Earth Sciences, Engineering and Materials, Information Science, Management, and Medicine.

• Please log into the NSFC account to see more information about research topics.

Project Period: The research duration in the application should be filled out from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027 (two years).

Eligibility:

• Chinese applicants must currently be undertaking (as a PI or participant) a NSFC project with a duration of three years or more, scheduled to conclude on or after December 31, 2026 (excluding collaborative exchange projects). The application must be based on this ongoing project, and the collaboration and exchange should closely align with the research content of the funded project.
• More details, please refer to <2025 NSFC Guidelines>.

Quota Requirements:

• This project falls under the category of International (Regional) Collaborative Exchange Projects and is not counted toward the total number of projects an applicant can apply for or undertake.
• It is not subject to the restriction that “an applicant may only apply for one project of the same type per year.”
• An applicant may apply for or concurrently undertake only one NSFC-FNRS collaborative exchange project as a principal investigator.

• Other quota requirements listed in <2025 NSFC Guidelines>

Application Process:

• Apply online through https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn. Detailed steps, please refer to: 2025年度国家自然科学基金委员会与比利时法语区基础研究基金会合作交流项目指南
• Prepare the budget. Please see <2025 NSFC Guidelines> for requirements for budgeting.
• Prepare the application forms. More details, please refer to: 2025年度国家自然科学基金委员会与比利时法语区基础研究基金会合作交流项目指南

Language: Chinese for PI from DKU to complete the proposal in the NSFC grants system, English for the English to be completed by PIs from both sides and submitted as a supplementary document along with the NSFC proposal.

Internal Deadline: 12:00 pm, Thursday, May 22, 2025

If you are interested in applying for this funding opportunity, please submit your proposals via NSFC system by the internal deadline. Shall you encounter any difficulties or have any questions regarding the application process (including the requirements, completing forms, or clarifying any details), please feel free to reach out to Research Support Office Duke Kunshan research-support@dukekunshan.edu.cn.

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