Table 1.

Overview of the important R&D funds for biotech in China.

Major fund	Description
863 Program	National High-tech R&D Program (863 Program) was approved in 1986 to promote high technology R&D in China. Biotechnology is listed as one of its eight priority fields.
973 Program	National Basic Research Program of China (973 program) was approved in 1997 to support basic science and technology research. It promotes research and innovation in major frontier fields of far-reaching and strategic importance, such a life science.
NSFC	The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) was established in 1986 to support basic science research through internationally accepted mechanism. Some biotech related research has been funded though the General Program, Key Program, or Major Program of NSFC.
National Key Technologies R&D Program	Initiated in 1982 and implemented through 5 Five-year Plans. It has made remarkable contributions to the technical renovation and formation of new industries such as biotech.
Foundation for high-tech commercialization	A special program supported by the SDPC* since 1998 to promote application and commercialization of technologies.
Special Foundation for Transgenic Plant Research and Commercialization	A 5-year program launched in 1999 by MOST** to promote the research and commercialization of transgenic plants in China. The total budget of this program in the first 5 years is 500 million RMB.
Key Science Engineering Program	Started in the late 1990s under MOST** and SDPC* to promote basic research, including biotechnology.
The Climbing Program	A national program for key basic research projects, including biotechnology, which was initiated in the early 1980s.

* SDPC stands for the State Development Planning Commission. It is now part of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), a macroeconomic management agency under the Chinese State Council.

**MOST stands for Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China.