China offers 15-year research grants to the world’s brightest young scientists

China is offering the world’s brightest young scientists generous 15-year research grants for free exploration, as the country accelerates its drive to become a global science powerhouse.

Dou Xiankang, director of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the country’s top funder of basic research, told a recent academic forum that the agency was selecting a group of the brightest researchers under 35 for long-term financial backing.

Once this group of exceptionally brilliant young people was identified, their sole performance metric over a 15-year period would be “whether they are in the laboratory”, Dou said on September 19.

He said there would be no short-term performance reviews during this period. Those selected would be assessed on only one criterion: physical presence in the lab.

“We do not mind if there is no short-term success; we just need you to settle down and stay in the laboratory,” Dou said. He revealed that 44 scientists had been chosen this year, nine of whom were from overseas, alongside more than 30 from within China.

The 15-year backing would involve increasingly intensive support, Dou added. Funding will double after the first five years and double again after the next five. “This is a new initiative undertaken by the NSFC this year,” he noted.

This new approach may prompt questions such as: where do scientific breakthroughs come from and where does the future of Chinese research lie? In the most innovative and passionate brains, according to the director.

“It depends on whether we can more effectively inspire and mobilise the enthusiasm and creativity of the most innovative and dynamic individuals in China,” Dou remarked.

“We want to encourage them by providing timely and effective support when they need the money the most, when they are at their most dynamic and at an age when they still have a passion for science, enabling them to stand out.”

China’s academic sector has long been plagued by a system where resources are concentrated among a small number of influential, senior researchers, leaving younger academics to face fierce competition for grant funding.

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Since his appointment in April 2023, the NSFC director has focused on tilting resources towards younger researchers.

In May this year, the NSFC announced a substantial expansion of its Young Scientists Fund, projecting an increase of 12,000 grants – a jump of more than 50 per cent – aimed at providing a steady stream of outstanding reserve talent for basic research.

The scheme, now referred to as Category C projects, is primarily aimed at early-career researchers and is designed to help them independently select topics and conduct their research.

Speaking at the conference, Dou explained that China was in a phase of accelerated technological development, producing an exceptionally high number of outstanding young minds.

“Therefore, at this specific historical juncture, we must direct substantial funding towards this brilliant young talent,” he noted.

He also revealed that nearly 90 per cent of the lead researchers on NSFC-funded projects were young people, with 75 per cent of the funding awarded to those under the age of 45.

In addition, the NSFC is ramping up its campaign to lure top young scientists from abroad by extending a major funding programme for a second round – a move that could be aimed partly at US-based researchers facing budget constraints.

Since its launch in 2021, the programme has awarded individual grants of between 1 million to 3 million yuan to thousands of scientists under 40, both born in China and overseas.