Applications for funding 190,840 natural science research projects have been made this year, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) announced on Aug. 24.

Yang Wei, head of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, speaks at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on Aug. 24. [Photo/China SCIO]

"The number of the proposed projects reached a record high as nearly 18,000 more applications were received compared with last year, or an increase of 10.41 percent," said Yang Wei, head of the NSFC.

Yang said the NSFC received 24.8 billion yuan (about 3.7 billion U.S. dollars) from the central budget to support scientific research this year, rising from 22.9 billion yuan last year.

To ensure the fairness of the review process, the NSFC has organized a team of on-site supervisors to monitor the 223 review panels.