By LI Linxu

With the country's spending on R&D on the rise, the corresponding management system is always in the spotlight, particularly in the field of national sci-tech programs.

Focusing on the management of such programs, a notification was recently released by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

To optimize the allocation of sci-tech resources and create a more favorable environment for innovation, the notification laid out a series of requirements and concrete measures on the application and approval of national sci-tech programs.

It is a follow-up policy to the Plan to Deepen the Management Reform of Central Fiscal Sci-tech Programs.

Researchers analyze space environment data in a lab. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

For the projects of national sci-tech programs, such as national key R&D projects, national natural science fund projects and major sci-tech instrument R&D projects, a joint review mechanism will be set up to prevent repetitive applications and approvals, according to the notification.

In principle, the number of such projects that a project leader or key member can apply for or undertake should not exceed two during the same period.

For special projects involving major sci-tech instrument R&D, a project leader or key member can only apply for or undertake one.

The rule will be implemented from January 1, 2023, said the notification, emphasizing that relevant institutes or units should evaluate researchers based on their contribution, instead of the number of projects they undertake.