z-bio 2024-11-26 487

　　The A3 Foresight Program is a collaborative research project initiated by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF). Its aim is to support scientists from China, Japan, and South Korea to conduct cooperative research in selected fields, jointly cultivate outstanding scientific and technological talents, solve regional scientific problems, and promote the improvement of scientific research level and world influence in Asia.

　　1、 Project Description

　　（1） Funding fields and application codes.

　　The funding field for the year 2025 is "Synthetic Biology", and application code 1 must select the C or H subordinate application code. Applications that do not fill in the designated application code 1 as required will not be accepted.

　　（2） Funding period.

　　The funding period is 5 years, and the research period in the application should be filled in from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2030.

　　（3） Scale and intensity of funding.

　　We plan to fund around 2 collaborative research projects by 2025. The Chinese side's funding intensity shall not exceed 4 million yuan per item (direct expenses), including research funds and international cooperation and exchange funds. JSPS and NRF provide corresponding funding to Japanese and South Korean scientists, respectively.

　　2、 Applicant Requirements

　　According to the Management Measures for International (Regional) Cooperative Research Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, applying for this project must meet the following conditions:

　　（1） The Chinese applicant should hold a senior professional and technical position (professional title), and as the project leader, be undertaking or have undertaken a National Natural Science Foundation project for a period of 3 years or more.

　　（2） Japanese and Korean collaborators should meet the eligibility requirements of JSPS and NRF for domestic applicants and submit applications to JSPS and NRF as required.

　　（3） The three parties have a good foundation for cooperation, and the project application should reflect strong cooperation and complementary advantages.

　　（4） There shall be no more than two domestic cooperative research units.

　　（5） For a detailed explanation of the applicant's requirements, please refer to the "2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guide".

　　3、 Regulations on Restricted Application

　　The National Natural Science Foundation of China's international (regional) cooperative research projects include inter organizational international (regional) cooperative research projects (hereinafter referred to as inter organizational cooperative research projects) and key international (regional) cooperative research projects. This project is an inter organizational collaborative research project, and the applicant must comply with the following restrictions when applying:

　　（1） The applicant can only apply for one international (regional) cooperative research project in the same year.

　　（2） The person in charge of an international (regional) cooperative research project shall not apply for this project as an applicant.

　　（3） As an applicant and as the person in charge of undertaking this project, it is included in the scope of the total number of projects applied for and undertaken by senior professional and technical personnel (title), limited to 2 items.

　　（4） Other restrictions on the number of applications in the "2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guidelines".

　　4、 Declaration Instructions

　　（1） Attention for applicants.

　　The application for collaborative research projects is written online, and the specific requirements for applicants are as follows:

　　Before filling out the application form, the applicant should carefully read the relevant content of this project guide and the "2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guide". Project applications that do not comply with the project guide and relevant requirements will not be accepted.

　　2. Applicants must log in to the Science Foundation Network Information System（ https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn ）According to the outline and relevant requirements, write the "Application for International (Regional) Cooperative Research Projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Chinese Application"). The specific steps are as follows:

　　(1) Select the "Project Leader" user group to log in to the system, then click "Online Application" to enter the application interface; Click the "Add Project Application" button to enter the selection interface of the science department to which the applied project belongs. Click "Apply for General Science Department Project" to enter the project category selection interface.

　　(2) Click on the+sign on the left or the "Expand" button on the right of "International (Regional) Cooperation and Exchange Projects" to expand the drop-down menu.

　　(3) Click the "Fill in Application" button on the right side of "Inter organizational Cooperation Research (Inter organizational Cooperation Agreement Project)" to enter the "Cooperation Agreement" selection interface. Select "A3 Forward looking Plan Project (China, Japan, and South Korea)" from the drop-down menu, and then enter the approval number of the fund project to rely on according to the system requirements. After passing the qualification certification, you will enter the specific Chinese application form filling interface.

　　3. Applicants should carefully read the budget preparation requirements in the "2024 National Natural Science Foundation Project Guidelines" application instructions, strictly follow the requirements of the "National Natural Science Foundation Funded Project Fund Management Measures (Caijiao [2021] No. 177)" and the "National Natural Science Foundation Project Fund Budget Table Preparation Instructions", and truthfully prepare the "National Natural Science Foundation Project Fund Budget Table".

　　4. Requirements for application materials. After the applicant completes the application form writing, they can submit the electronic application form and attachment materials online without submitting a paper application form. After the project is approved, the paper signature and stamp pages of the application shall be bound at the end of the "Funding Project Plan" and submitted together. The information signed and stamped should be strictly consistent with the electronic application form.

　　The attachment materials include:

　　(1) The Chinese applicant must jointly write an English application with the Japanese and Korean collaborators (see Annex 1), and the basic content of the Chinese and English applications must be consistent.

　　(2) Cooperation Agreement (see Attachment 2 for writing instructions). The three parties involved in the cooperation must reach a consensus on issues of common concern, such as cooperation content and intellectual property rights, and sign a cooperation agreement.

　　（2） Precautions for relying on the unit.

　　The supporting unit shall review the authenticity, completeness, and compliance of the application materials submitted by the applicant of the unit, as well as the target relevance, policy consistency, and economic rationality of the budget application. This project is included in the scope of paperless application, and the supporting unit should submit the electronic application form and attachment materials of this unit before the prescribed project application deadline. Please upload the project application list of our unit through the Science Foundation Network Information System, without providing a hard copy.

　　Regarding the submission of the unit's commitment letter for scientific research integrity, please refer to the Notice on the Application and Conclusion of National Natural Science Foundation Projects in 2024.

　　（3） Project application acceptance.

　　The online application period for the Science Foundation Network Information System is from January 15, 2025 to February 14, 2025 at 4:00 pm; Foreign collaborators must submit their applications before the deadline set by funding agencies in each country.

　　Note: Applicants are required to strictly follow the requirements of this project guide when filling out the application. The science management department of the supporting unit is reminded to confirm and submit the electronic version of the application before closing the online application in the Science Foundation Network Information System. Applications that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted. If you have any questions, please call the project contact person.

　　5、 Announcement of funding results

　　The funding results will be notified through the Science Foundation Network Information System in June 2025.

　　6、 Project contact person

　　International Cooperation Bureau: Zhang Lerong Nianhe

　　Phone:+86-10-6232 8404, 6232 6998

　　Email: zhangle@nsfc.gov.cn ,  rongnh@nsfc.gov.cn

　　International Research Grants Department: Lai Ying

　　Phone: 010-6232 5430

　　Email: laiying@nsfc.gov.cn

　　Information System Technical Support (Information Center):+86-10-6231 7474

　　Japanese contact person: KIKUCHI Mayu

　　Email: foresight@jsps.go.jp

　　Korean contact person: CHO Eunhye