The International Workshop on Science Funding Strategies and Policies, organized by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), was held in Paris, France, on September 6, 2018. Professor Li Jinghai, Secretary of the NSFC CPC Committee and NSFC President, delivered a speech titled Science Funding Agencies in a New Paradigm of Science and presented the measures and roadmap of the ongoing NSFC reform. Mr. Sun Yuming, Minister Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in France, attended the workshop and made remarks. Around 30 participants from 16 European funding agencies and international scientific organizations attended the workshop.

Topics addressed at the workshop included identification of funding priorities, improvement of evaluation mechanism and optimization of the layout of research areas and etc. Participants had a heated and in-depth discussion on the common challenges faced by funding agencies and possible solutions. The measures and roadmap of NSFC’s reform was also presented for extensive consultation at the workshop.

The workshop promoted mutual understanding and trust and laid solid foundation for strategic dialogue and cooperation between participating funding agencies. It was an important international consultative event for NSFC and also an effort to participate in and contribute Chinese wisdom to the global governance of science and technology, serving as a landmark in the internationalization process of NSFC.