The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; ) is an organization directly affiliated to China's
State Council for the management of the National Natural Science Fund.
History
NSFC was founded in February 1986 by theoretical chemist
Tang Aoqing
Tang Aoqing (; 18 November 1915 – 15 July 2008), or Au-Chin Tang, was a Chinese theoretical chemist and educator, known as the "Father of Quantum Chemistry" in China. He established the Department of Chemistry of Jilin University, and served as ...
, with the approval of the State Council. It is an institution for the management of the National Natural Science Fund, aimed at promoting and financing
basic research
Basic research, also called pure research or fundamental research, is a type of scientific research with the aim of improving scientific theories for better understanding and prediction of natural or other phenomena. In contrast, applied rese ...
and
applied research in China.
In 2010 NSFC launched a medical department, analogous to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
'
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...
. Plans for a medical department had been announced in 2001, but only with the 2008 appointment of
Chen Zhu
Chen Zhu (; born August 17, 1953) is a Chinese hematologist, molecular biologist, and politician. He is a vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and President of the Red Cross Society of China. He was also the c ...
as health minister did basic biomedical research gain enough political support to push the department forward. The medical department is expected to give about one billion renminbi in grants for 2010.
See also
*
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
(U.S.)
References
External links
Official Website of NSFCOfficial Website of NSFCScience museums in China
{{Authority control
Scientific organizations based in China
State Council of the People's Republic of China
Scientific organizations established in 1986
1986 establishments in China