The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) recently announced the review results for proposals submitted during its 2026 centralized application period. OUC submitted 1,110 applications across various program categories during the period, all of which passed the formal eligibility review. The university thus maintained its record of having no applications rejected at the preliminary screening stage for several consecutive years. To date, OUC has secured funding for 281 projects, up 33.2% year on year. Approved funding for direct costs reached 175 million RMB, with total funding amounting to approximately 220 million RMB, an increase of 48.3% year on year. These figures represent substantial improvements across all major indicators and new record highs, providing strong support for the university’s high-quality development during the 15th Five-Year Plan Period.
OUC’s capacity for original innovation continued to grow. The university established a new model for organizing research, characterized by systematic planning, fully tapping its potential, targeted guidance, and focused efforts to achieve breakthroughs. Its success rates for the Young Scientists Fund (Category C) and the General Program reached 38.53% and 23.01%, respectively, while its overall success rate was nearly twice the national average. The number of funded projects rose significantly, increasing by 81.3% from the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan period and taking the university’s basic research to a new level. Strong results were also achieved in high-level talent and team programs. The project “Multiphysics, Multibody, and Multiscale Coupling and the Mechanisms underlying Its Effects on the Performance and Safety of Deep-Sea Engineering Equipment,” led by Academician Li Huajun, received continued funding through the Excellent Research Group Program. Two researchers received grants from the Young Scientists Fund (Category A), and five received grants from the Young Scientists Fund (Category B), bringing the combined number of grants in these two categories to a record high for the university. OUC also continued to make progress in major grant categories. By focusing on major national strategic needs and the frontiers of science and technology, and by strengthening the strategic coordination of basic research, the university secured seven major projects, each receiving more than 2 million RMB in funding. These projects provide solid foundations for stronger efforts to achieve original and pioneering scientific and technological breakthroughs.
On April 30, 2026, General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed at a symposium on strengthening basic research that greater efforts and more concrete measures should be taken to strengthen basic research and further solidify the foundation for building China’s strength in science and technology. As China’s primary funding channel for basic research, NSFC grants are highly competitive among universities and research institutes. In 2026, the NSFC received more than 470,000 applications nationwide, up 8.6% from the previous year. Despite a significant expansion in funding for the General Program and the Young Scientists Fund, the overall success rate remained relatively low, at approximately 14.7%.
In recent years, OUC has worked to strengthen institutionally coordinated research and develop an efficient, collaborative model for organizing NSFC grant applications. First, it strengthened systematic planning and efficient coordination. The university introduced quantitative tools, including a formula for calculating the “grant application saturation rate,” to systematically assess the application potential of each academic unit and provide targeted guidance for grant applications. It also established a four-dimensional proposal quality-control system to improve applications across the board. Together, these measures brought meaningful improvements in quality and substantial growth in the number of NSFC-funded projects, while further optimizing the composition of the university’s grant portfolio. Second, OUC promoted strategic planning and interdisciplinary research. Guided by major national strategic needs and the frontiers of marine science and technology, the university accelerated shifts in its research paradigms and research organization models. Building on its disciplinary strengths, OUC leveraged its leading disciplines to drive broader development and deepen interdisciplinary collaboration. This year, the university secured its first Young Scientists Fund (Category A) grant through the NSFC’s Department of Interdisciplinary Sciences, as well as its first Young Scientists Fund (Category B) grants in marine technology and estuarine and coastal research, opening up new areas for growth.
The Office of Science and Technology will continue to consolidate the university’s long-standing strengths in basic research, strengthen high-level strategic planning, align its efforts with major national strategic needs, pool its strongest resources, develop its research talent, improve the ecosystem for academic innovation, and deepen interdisciplinary collaboration. It will continue to enhance OUC’s capacity for basic research and original innovation, providing strong support for the university’s development under China’s Double First-Class Initiative.
