Dear Colleagues,
The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) has officially released the Guidelines for 2026 NSFC Projects. The following types of projects are open for centralized application in 2026: General Projects, Young Scientists Fund (Category A, including continuation funding projects), Young Scientists Fund (Category B), Young Scientists Fund (Category C), Regional Science Fund, Key Projects, Innovative Research Groups, Outstanding Research Groups, Key International (Regional) Cooperative Research Projects, Research Fund for Foreign Scientists, Cooperative Innovative Research Teams, National Major Scientific Research Instrument Development Projects (free application), Joint Fund Projects, Major Research Plan Projects, Mathematics Tianyuan Fund Projects, etc.
Timeline:
1. Applicants are kindly requested to send the type of project they plan to apply for to brianyang@bnbu.edu.cn no later than February 28, 2026. Different types of projects have specific requirements, and this step ensures that the Research Development and Knowledge Transfer Office (RDKTO) can make the necessary preparations in advance.
2. Applicants are encouraged to kindly submit their applications online through the system by March 12, 2026 (no hard copy submission is needed).
3. Between March 13 and March 16, 2026, the RDKTO will conduct a formal review of the submitted applications. During this period, applicants will be notified if any revisions or additions are required.
4. By March 17 to March 18, 2026, the RDKTO will submit the finalized applications to the NSFC. Please note: The NSFC's final deadline for receiving applications is 4:00 PM on March 20, 2026. To avoid potential network congestion during the final submission period, applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the earlier deadlines."
Notes:
1. Applicants:
(1) To avoid duplication of funding, the NSFC Department of Management Science Division Project has joint restrictions on applications. For details, please refer to the the Guidelines for 2026 NSFC Projects – Funding Areas and Notes for the Department of Management Science.
(2) Applicants should carefully read the guidelines and requirements. Also, due to the differences among various departments, offices, and disciplines, special attention should be paid to the funding areas and notes for each department.
2. System Account:
(1) If there is a change in your work unit, you don’t need to add a new account, please log in to the system and update your work unit in the "Personal Information Maintenance" section.
(2) If you have never had an account in the system, please send your name, email (please use your BNBU email), and ID number to brianyang@bnbu.edu.cn, RDKTO will be responsible for creating a new account.
3. Websites:
(1) Guidelines of National Natural Science Foundation of China Projects in 2026
https://www.nsfc.gov.cn/p1/2931/3971/3972/qy2026.html
(2) 2026 NSFC Research Fund for International Scientists Application
https://www.nsfc.gov.cn/p1/2931/3971/3999/wgxzyjjjxm2026.html
(3) Application Regulations of NSFC in 2026
https://www.nsfc.gov.cn/p1/2931/3971/3974/sqgd2.html
(4) Notice on Matters Concerning the Application and Completion of the 2026 NSFC Projects
https://www.nsfc.gov.cn/p1/3381/2824/99667.html
(5) National Natural Science Foundation of China
https://www.nsfc.gov.cn/
(6) Science Foundation Network Information System
https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/
(7) NSFC Big Data Knowledge Management Service Platform
https://kd.nsfc.cn/
(8) National Natural Science Foundation of China（NSFC）open-access repository platform
https://oar.nsfc.cn/
(9) How to Fill out the Project Application Form (User Manual for Project Applicants and Principals)
https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/egrantweb/help-center-viewpdf?fw=hc&nTabs=fzr&g=9a96daa8cea568e6e053cd02a8c00303
For further details, please refer to the official guidelines released by the NSFC.
