"973 Program" projects get green light

A conference for project implementation for both the national "973 Program" and the Major Scientific Research Program was held in Beijing on October 19, during which the implementation of 84 projects under the "973 Program" and 39 projects under the Major Scientific Research Program were approved.

The "973 Program" is a national key research and development program that was organized and implemented by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 1997. It has addressed a series of key economic and social development issues, significantly enhanced the level of China's basic research and formed a core team for China's basic research.

This year the "973 Program" covers eight major fields, namely, agriculture, energy, information, resources and environment, population and health, materials, interdisciplinary research and key pioneering science; and its implementation focuses on major issues relating to national economic and social development, international pioneering science, people's livelihood, energy-saving and emission reduction, and climate change, said Zhang Xianen, director general of the Basic Research Department under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The implementation of the projects will play an important role in further resolving the bottleneck in China's future economic and social development, and enhancing original innovation capacity.

The 39 approved projects under the Major Scientific Research Program are basic research projects covering the four research fields of proteome, quantum control, nanotechnology and reproduction which are being prepared in advance to meet the needs of China's major national strategies.

By People's Daily Online

http://paper.people.com.cn/rmrb/html/2009-10/20/content_364008.htm