Q: Are there any funds available specifically for Chinese researchers?

As China becomes more global, and the researcher community worldwide gets closer, many Chinese researchers are looking for international collaborative research ventures. Accordingly, several foreign grants and fellowships are currently available for Chinese researchers. Here are a few I came across lately.

Funding for Chinese researchers

1. NIH Research Project Grant Program

About the grant: This grant provides support for health-related research and development. The purpose of this grant is to stimulate collaborative basic, translational, and applied research between US-based researchers and Chinese researchers in the areas of allergy, immunology, and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and its co-morbidities and co-infections, cancer, mental health, Parkinson’s disease (PD), and stroke.

Date of announcement/closing: Standard receipt dates for new grant applications are February 5, June 5, and October 5.  The key dates for the receipt, review, and award cycle schedules are posted here: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/submissionschedule.htm.

Who is eligible? The eligibility criteria and application guidelines can be found here: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-12-021.html

Grant/fund amount: The total grant amount is limited to $200,000 per year for a 3-year period.  

2. China-UK Programme in Global Priorities (CUKPGP)

About the grant: This grant stems from a collaboration between the Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, and its purpose is to strengthen the existing research links between the UK and China. Funding will be provided to facilitate bilateral cooperation between British and Chinese research groups in the research areas of healthy ageing populations, energy, and food security.

Date of announcement/closing: The closing date is usually in the last week of April. Inquiries can be made by contacting international@rcuk.ac.uk

Who is eligible? The eligibility criteria and application guidelines in Chinese can be found here:  http://www.cistc.gov.cn/introduction/info_4.asp?column=375&id=78238

Grant/fund amount: The budget amount for the UK research collaborator is £1M. In each collaborative project, matching resources for the Chinese participants will be provided by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.

3. Grants for Swedish-Chinese research cooperation

About the grant: The Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research (FAS), Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (Formas) and the Swedish Research Council have announced grants for research cooperation between Swedish and Chinese researchers. The research areas include, but are not restricted to, sustainable development and life sciences, including public health.

Date of announcement/closing: The application process is currently open and a notification of interest should reach the Swedish Research Council no later than 23 January 2013. For further details, send an email to registrator@vr.se.

Who is eligible? The details of eligibility criteria can be found at http://www.fas.se/en/Calls-for-proposals/Open-calls/Grants-for-Swedish-Chinese-research-cooperation-step-1/.

Grant/fund amount: Five-year grant in the order of 5 million SEK per year.

4. Humboldt Research Fellowships for postdoctoral researchers

About the grant: Scientists and scholars of all nationalities, excluding German, and disciplines may apply to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation directly at any time. The Humboldt Foundation grants approximately 600 Humboldt Research Fellowships for postdoctoral researchers and experienced researchers annually.

Date of announcement: The Foundation allows continuous application throughout the year. The details of the program can be found here: http://www.humboldt-foundation.de/pls/web/docs/F1277/programme_information_p.pdf

Who is eligible? All highly qualified, non-German researchers are eligible. However, they should have completed their doctorate within the last four years. 

Grant/fund amount:  The fellowship is worth 2,650 EUR per month for a period of 6-24 months.

The list below includes a special grant for researchers who have studied in the UK and who would like to recommence their research career after a break of a few years.

5. Wellcome Trust Research Career Re-entry Fellowships in Basic Biomedical Science

About the grant: This scheme is for postdoctoral scientists who have recently decided to restart a scientific research career after a continuous break of at least two years. The fellowship is particularly suitable for applicants wishing to return to research after a break for family commitments. The fellowship program runs for two to four years and may be taken up on a full-time or part-time basis.

Deadline for preliminary applications: 20 May 2013. The details of the application process can be found here.

Who is eligible? You are eligible even if you are not a UK national. However, you should hold a PhD or other relevant degree from a university in the UK or Republic of Ireland. You should be a research scientist with at least two years' postdoctoral experience and you must have an eligible sponsoring laboratory in the UK. 

Grant/fund amount: The fellowship includes the salary and research expenses (materials and consumables, animals, travel to attend scientific meetings, fieldwork and data collection).

6. Senior Fellowships in Public Health and Tropical Medicine

About the grant: This scheme supports outstanding researchers from low- and middle-income countries (including China) to establish themselves as leading investigators at an academic institution in any of these countries. This fellowship is aimed at building sustainable capacity in areas of research that have the potential for increasing health benefits for people and their livestock in low- and middle-income countries.

Deadline for preliminary applications: 10 May 2013 (Apply quickly! J). The details of the application process can be found here.

Who is eligible? Candidates should be working on infectious and non-communicable diseases within the fields of public health and tropical medicine, with an objective of understanding and controlling diseases. Researchers with a PhD degree and at least five years' postdoctoral experience, or medical graduates who are recognized as specialists within a relevant research area and have at least five years' research experience are eligible.

Grant/fund amount: Fellowships are for up to five years and include basic salary, research expenses, training costs, and support to attend scientific meetings.

7. CAS-DAAD scholarship program

About the grant: This grant enables young Chinese scientists to conduct research in Germany for a period of 1-2 years.

Deadline: The selection meeting usually takes place in June/July in Beijing. All information regarding the application procedure and deadlines can be obtained from the Beijing Branch Office (Email: postmaster@daad.org.cn).

Who is eligible? Researchers from the institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the University of Science and Technology of China

Grant/fund amount: Funding is typically for 12–22 months. Fellows having a Ph.D. degree will receive a monthly scholarship of EUR 1000.

8. Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program

About the grant: The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program provides grants to approximately 850 foreign scholars from over 100 countries to conduct post-doctoral research at U.S. institutions from an academic semester to a full academic year. 

Date of announcement: All information regarding the application procedure, deadlines and monthly stipend can be obtained from the Division of Study Abroad China Scholarship Council (E-mail: xphu@csc.edu.cn; Phone: +86 (10) 6609-3957).

Who is eligible? Applicants must have a doctoral degree or equivalent professional training at the time of application. They should also have sufficient proficiency in the English language to carry out the project.