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The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) has awarded funding to 154 projects at South China Normal University (SCNU), according to the review results for the 2026 centralized application period announced on 25 August. Direct funding totals 78.1 million yuan, with both the number of approved projects and the direct funding amount hitting new institutional records.
The number of approved projects rose by 20.3% year-on-year, while direct funding increased by 8.1%. SCNU ranks third nationwide among normal universities across three metrics: total direct funding, the number of Key Program grants, and the number of Young Scientists Fund (Category A) awards. For the first time, the university has secured Young Scientists Fund (Category A) grants for two consecutive years.
The 154 projects comprise 77 General Program, 70 Young Scientists Fund (Category C), 3 Key Program, 2 Young Scientists Fund (Category A) and 2 Young Scientists Fund (Category B) awards. The overall success rate stood at 23%, 8.2 percentage points higher than the national average of 14.8%. The success rate reached 37.9% for the Young Scientists Fund (Category C) and 19.1% for the General Program.
Grants were awarded across all nine NSFC disciplinary funding divisions. The Department of Life Sciences accounts for 33 projects with 14.5 million yuan in direct funding; the Department of Earth Sciences, 29 projects with 15 million yuan; the Department of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 29 projects with 13.9 million yuan; and the Department of Information Sciences, 22 projects with 13.5 million yuan. Next is the Department of Chemical Sciences with 20 projects and 9.9 million yuan, followed by the Department of Management Sciences with 13 projects and 4.2 million yuan, and the Department of Engineering and Materials Sciences with 6 projects and 2.8 million yuan. The Department of Health Sciences and the Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences each supported one project, receiving 4 million yuan and 300,000 yuan respectively.
The funding spans 24 schools and research institutes at SCNU. The School of Life Sciences tops the list with 24 grants, followed by the School of Chemistry and the School of Geography (including the Beidou Research Institute), each with 18 grants. The South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics obtained 13 grants; the School of Physics, 12; the School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, 11; the School of Environment, 10; the School of Economics and Management, 8; the School of Mathematical Sciences and the School of Psychology, 6 each; and the Institute of Quantum Matter, 5.
Source: SCNU News Agency
Translated by Chen Bao, Tang Ying
Proofread by Edwin Baak
Edited by Li Yiwei
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