Notice on Application for the 2026 "Pilot Program of Research Fund for Excellent International PhD Students-I"

August 24, 2026

In accordance with the relevant notifications from the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), HUST hereby launches the 2026 internal application and recommendation for the Research Fund for Excellent International PhD Students-I (RFEIPS-I) Pilot Program. This program aims to support outstanding international PhD students in conducting fundamental research within the funding scope of NSFC and to enhance their capacity for independent scientific research. The program adopts a "Qualification Review + Self-Initiated Application" mechanism. HUST will recommend qualified applicants on a competitive basis, and NSFC will organize the evaluation and final selection.

Eligible international PhD students are encouraged to apply. Detailed requirements are set forth in the attached: HUST Selection Plan for Recommending Applications to the 2026 NSFC Pilot Program of Research Fund for Excellent International PhD Students-I.

I. Key Eligibility Requirements

1. Applicants shall be full-time international PhD students enrolled at HUST, or international PhD students jointly trained by HUST and renowned overseas universities for a jointly awarded doctoral degree;

2. The applicant shall study and conduct doctoral dissertation research in China for no less than one year consecutively;

3. Applicants shall have received the Chinese Government Scholarship awarded by the Ministry of Education;

4. The research direction shall fall within the basic research funding scope of NSFC, with application codes selected from A through H or T;

5. The proposed research shall constitute the applicant's doctoral dissertation research, demonstrate strong innovativeness, and shall not have received prior funding from other research programs;

6. The application must be endorsed by the applicant's doctoral supervisor in writing. Each applicant may receive funding from the RFEIPS-I Program only once as the Principal Investigator.

Special Note: The recommended PhD students shall have obtained the consent of their supervisors, and their enrollment period shall cover the entire project execution period.

II. Funding Duration and Level

A total of up to 100 project awards are available nationwide. The funding period commences on January 1, 2027, and ranges from one to three years. The annual funding per project is up to RMB 100,000, with a maximum total funding of RMB 300,000 per project. All funds shall be used for direct costs related to the proposed research.

Funding periods:

1. One-year project: January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027

2. Two-year project: January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2028

3. Three-year project: January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2029

III. Important Deadlines

1. Before August 30: Applicants shall prepare the Consent Letter by PhD Supervisor in China (Attachment 1), Achievement Information Form (Attachment 2), and defense PPT, and submit them to their respective departments (to the departmental faculty member in charge of routine liaison with the School of International Education).

Special Note：Required Attachments in NSFC Grants system:

(1) Certificate of Chinese Government Scholarship Support; the admission notice may be used.

(2) Recommendation of Host Institution stamped with the official seal of HUST.

(3) Consent Letter by PhD Supervisor in China signed by the supervisor.

(4) Complete Transcripts since Bachelor's Study.

(5) No more than five electronic copies of the applicant's published representative papers.

(6) Relevant review and certification documents where the proposed research involves scientific research ethics or science and technology security issues (such as biosafety, information security, etc.).

Applicants are kindly requested to prepare the aforementioned materials as early as possible to ensure a smooth submission.

2. Before September 1: Departments shall complete the qualification review and nomination of applicants from their respective colleges. Departments shall compile and submit the Achievement Information Form and defense PPTs of nominated applicants to the School of International Education (see Contact Information for the email address). All prospective applicants and their supervisors are reminded that the proposed research must be based on the applicant's own doctoral dissertation research topic; using another person's research topic for the application is strictly prohibited.

3. September 7–9 (specific time to be notified separately): The School of International Education will organize an expert review meeting and simultaneously complete the Recommendation of Host Institution (Attachment 3). Applicants are requested to attend on time. Access to the NSFC Grants system (https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/) will be granted to applicants based on the results of the expert review meeting.

4. September 15: Internal deadline. Applicants shall log in to the NSFC Grants system (https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/) to upload the electronic application and all attachments; departments shall complete the online review.

5. September 15–21: Science Development Institute review and revision. The Science Development Institute will conduct an online material review and provide feedback; applicants shall revise and resubmit in a timely manner according to the comments.

6. September 22, 16:00: Final deadline for the NSFC system.

Special reminder: It is strictly prohibited to use another person's research project for application. The application content must be the applicant's own doctoral dissertation research.

IV. Application Notes

1. Applicants shall strictly prepare the proposal in accordance with the NSFC system outline and instructions. Supervisors and Schools/Departments shall conduct content review, as the quality of the proposal directly affects the outcome of subsequent peer review.

2. The proposed research is limited to the applicant's own doctoral dissertation research. It is strictly prohibited to use another person's research project for application. Meanwhile, Schools/Departments will focus on verifying applicants' Chinese Government Scholarship support status, duration of study in China, and doctoral dissertation research period.

V. Contact Information

Main Campus: Ms. Wu, Email: yuqingwu@hust.edu.cn

Tongji Campus: Ms. Zhou, Email: iris_hust@hust.edu.cn

Attachments:

  1 导师同意函（Consent Letter by PhD Supervisor in China）.doc

 2 成果信息汇总表 (Achievement Information Form（RFEIPS-I）).docx

 3 依托单位推荐意见（Recommendation of Host Institution）.docx

  HUST Selection Plan for Recommending Applications to the 2026 NSFC Pilot Program of Research Fund for Excellent International PhD Students-I 关于推荐申请2026年度外籍优秀学生来华读博支持专项（试点）项目的选拔方案.docx

School of International Education

关于申报2026年度"外籍优秀学生来华读博支持专项
（试点）项目"的通知

根据教育部、国家自然科学基金委员会相关工作通知，我校正式启动2026年度"外籍优秀学生来华读博支持专项（试点）项目"（RFEIPS-I）校内申报工作。本专项面向优秀外籍博士研究生，支持其在国家自然科学基金资助范畴内开展基础研究，提升独立科研能力。项目实行"资格审查+自主申报"模式，学校择优推荐，国家自然科学基金委员会组织评审遴选。

请符合条件的外籍博士研究生积极开展申报，具体申报细则详见附件《关于推荐申请2026年度"外籍优秀学生来华读博支持专项（试点）项目"的选拔方案》。

一、重点申请条件

1. 申请人为我校全日制外籍博士研究生，或可获得国外知名高校联合学位的联合培养外籍博士研究生；

2. 博士论文课题需在华连续开展学习与科研时间不少于1年；

3. 已取得教育部中国政府奖学金资助；

4. 研究方向属于国家自然科学基金基础研究资助范围，按基金委A—H、T申请代码进行选择；

5. 申报课题为本人博士学位论文研究内容，创新性突出，未获得其他科研项目经费支持；

6. 申报须取得博士生导师书面同意；申请人作为项目负责人仅可获得本专项资助1次。

特别说明：推荐申请的博士生应当经过导师同意，在校期应覆盖项目执行期。

二、资助年限与额度

全国资助总规模不超过100项。资助执行起始时间为2027年1月1日，资助周期1-3年；年度资助最高10万元/项，项目总资助额度不超过30万元/项，经费全部用于项目直接研究支出。

周期说明：

1. 1年期：2027.01.01-2027.12.31

2. 2年期：2027.01.01-2028.12.31

3. 3年期：2027.01.01-2029.12.31

三、重要时间节点

1. 8月30日前，申请人准备导师同意函（附件1）、成果信息表（附件2）、答辩PPT发至各院系（院系负责日常对接国教院的老师）。

提示： 申请时系统必须提交的附件材料：

（1）申请人所获中国政府奖学金资助证明（Certificate of Chinese Government Scholarship Support），可用录取通知书；

（2）加盖依托单位公章的单位推荐意见（Recommendation of Host Institution）；

（3）由导师签名的导师同意函（Consent Letter by PhD Supervisor in China）；

（4）申请人自本科以来的完整学业成绩单（Complete Transcripts since Bachelor's Study）复印件；

（5）不超过5篇申请人公开发表的代表性论文电子版；

（6）涉及科研伦理及科技安全（如生物安全、信息安全等）的项目申请，须按要求上传相应审核证明材料。

请申请人尽早准备上述材料以便顺利填报。

2. 9月1日前：各院系完成本院申请人的资格审查和推荐工作。各院系汇总推荐申请人“成果信息表”和答辩PPT至国际教育学院（邮箱见联系方式）。 提醒所有拟申报学生及其导师，申报内容须基于申请人本人博士学位论文研究课题，严禁使用他人课题进行申报。

3. 9月7-9日（具体时间另行通知）：国际教育学院组织专家评审会，同步完成《依托单位推荐意见》（附件3）填报，请申请人按时参加。将根据专家评审会结果为申请人开通科学基金网络信息系统（https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/）填报权限。

4. 9月15日：校内截止时间。申请人登录科学基金网络信息系统（https://grants.nsfc.gov.cn/）上传电子申请书及全部附件；各院系完成线上审核。

5. 9月15日-9月21日：科发院审核与修改。科发院开展线上材料审核并反馈修改意见；申请人按意见及时修改并重新提交。

6. 9月22日16:00：基金委系统最终截止。

特别提醒：严禁挪用他人课题进行申报，申报内容必须为本人博士学位论文课题。

四、申报注意事项

1. 严格按照基金委系统提纲、填报说明撰写申请书；导师、学院做好内容审核把关，申请书质量直接影响后续通讯评审结果。

2. 申报课题仅限本人博士学位论文研究内容，严禁使用他人课题申报。同时学院将重点核验中国政府奖学金资助情况、在华学习及博士学位论文研究期限等资格条件。

五、联系方式

主校区：吴老师，Email：yuqingwu@hust.edu.cn

同济校区：周老师，Email：iris_hust@hust.edu.cn

附件：

1. 导师同意函模板

2.成果信息表模板

3. 依托单位推荐意见模板

《关于推荐申请2026年度"外籍优秀学生来华读博支持专项（试点）项目"的选拔方案》

                                                  国际教育学院           

2026年8月24日