To thoroughly implement the innovation-driven development strategy and speed up building Shanghai into a globally influential center of science, technology and innovation, the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (STCSM) hereby release the Call for Proposals - Natural Science Fundation of Shanghai, under the 2024 Shanghai Action Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation.

　　

　　I. Scope

　　

　　Type 1 General Projects

　　

　　Objective: To strengthen fundamental and applied fundamental research, encourage more original cutting-edge and cross-disciplinary research, upgrade the capacity for innovation, and further consolidate the foundation of Shanghai's scientific and technological development.

　　

　　Duration: From October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027.

　　

　　Funding: Fixed grants with RMB200,000 for each project.

　　

　　Eligibility:

　　

　　The Principal Investigator (PI) must apply through his/her employing organization. A person who has served as the PI of one or more ongoing research projects under national or municipal fiscal funding cannot apply as the PI. The host institution shall review the submitted applications to ensure that they meet the above requirements and select and endorse the most suitable ones.

　　

　　Type 2 Continued Support Projects

　　

　　Objective:

　　

　　For projects granted by the Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai that have passed comprehensive performance evaluation in 2024, those demonstrating highly original exploration, high-quality preliminary work, and promising research content will be given a continued support to facilitate original breakthroughs, based on the results of on-site panel review.

　　

　　Duration: From November 1, 2024 to October 31, 2027.

　　

　　Funding: Fixed grants with RMB500,000 for each project.

　　

　　II. Application Requirements

　　

　　Apart from the above conditions, the following requirements shall also be abided by:

　　

　　1. The host institution shall be an incorporated or unincorporated body registered in Shanghai and have the capability of implementing the proposed projects.

　　

　　2. For new projects proposed based on previous projects that have already received municipal fiscal funding or funding from other agencies (such as the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Natural Science Foundation of China), the similarities, differences, and development relationships between the two shall be clearly stated.

　　

　　3. All host institutions and project participants shall abide by the management requirements of research integrity. The Principal Investigator (PI) shall certify the authenticity of all submitted materials. The host institution shall be responsible for the eligibility of applicants, verify the authenticity and completeness of submitted materials, and refrain from submitting any application that contains confidential information.

　　

　　4. If the applicant requests to exclude certain experts from the review panel, an official letter needs to be issued by the host institution and uploaded with the feasibility plan, indicating the list of excluded experts and the corresponding reasons for the exclusion.

　　

　　5. All host institutions and project participants shall abide by the science and technology ethics. Proposed scientific and technological activities shall be subject to scientific and technological ethics risk assessment. If they fall within the scope listed in Article 2 of the Measures for Scientific and Technological Ethics Review (for Trial Implementation) issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology, ethics review shall be conducted as required together with corresponding scientific and technological ethics review approval materials.

　　

　　6. All host institutions and project participants shall observe the laws and regulations on the management of human genetic resources and on the biosafety management in pathogenic microbiology laboratories.

　　

　　7. Each applicant shall apply for one project only.

　　

　　III. Application Method

　　

　　1. Applications shall be made online. Applicants shall get access to the application system via “Shanghai Science and Technology Information Management System” (svc.stcsm.sh.gov.cn), select an appropriate subject and start application.

　　

　　(Notice: Filling in English is welcome, although webpages of the application system are in Chinese, and assistance might be needed. )

　　

　　2. For General Projects, the online application starts from 9:00 on July 3, 2024, and ends at 16:30 on July 22, 2024 (including review and submission by host institutions). The host institution shall submit an official letter of recommendation by July 30, 2024.

　　

　　For Continued Support Projects, the application duration will be notified separately according to the results of comprehensive performance evaluation.

　　

　　IV. Review

　　

　　General Projects: two rounds of online peer reviews.

　　

　　Continued Support Projects: single round of on-site panel review.

　　

　　V. Announcement

　　

　　The STCSM will release the list of approved projects for public review and feedback.

　　

　　VI. Service Hotline

　　

　　8008205114 (Landline), 4008205114 (Mobile)

　　

　　Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality

　　June 25, 2024