Nature：中国将改革科研资助体系，“973”和“863”可能被中止

到2017年，现行的973和863等重大科技资助项目将被停止，并整合国家自然科学基金，重新设计5种不同类型的科研资助体系，科研部统一管理。这将是国家对竞争性科研计划最大的一次改革。

  1.   the National Natural Science Foundation (which currently distributes many of the small-scale competitive grants);国家自然科学基金（主要小额普惠型资助）
  2.   national science and technology major projects;相当于原来的973（大型国家科技项目）
  3.   key national research and development programmes;相当于以前的863 （重大关键技术的突破性研究）
  4.   a special fund to guide technological innovation;技术创新基金，如目前的新药创制等基金形式
  5.   and special projects for developing human resources and infrastructure.这可能整合目前的社科类基金。

These five will be managed under a new science and technology agency that will unify planning and assessment of scientific projects.

On 20 October, the Chinese government announced the passage of a reform plan that will fundamentally reshape research in the country.

By 2017, the main competitive government funding initiatives will be eliminated. This includes the ’863′ and ’973′ programmes, two channels for large grants that have been at the heart of modern China’s development of science and technology infrastructure since being established in 1986 and 1997, respectively.

The government announcement noted that wastefulness and fragmented management has led to overlaps and inefficient use of funds for science and technology, and the need for a unified platform for distributing grants. As new funding programmes have been added over the years, competitive funding has become divided among some 100 competitive schemes overseen by about 30 different governmental departments.

Although efforts to reorganize science in China are already underway,  the latest reform will be comprehensive. Science and technology spending by the central government was 77.4 billion yuan renminbi (US$12.6 billion) in 2006 but jumped to 236 billion yuan renminbi in 2013, 11.6% of the central government’s direct public expenditure. Some 60% of this is competitive funding, and subject to change under under the new reforms. To maintain stability, the overhaul will not affect the remaining 40%, which covers operation costs for research institutes and key state laboratories.