2026 National Social Science Grant Specialized Program for Rare and Endangered Fields of Research

2026 National Social Science Grant Specialized Program for Rare and Endangered Fields of Research
2026年国家社科基金冷门绝学研究专项项目

July 20, 2026

The Official Announcement in Chinese

Sponsor:

National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences (NOPSS)

About:

The 2026 National Social Science Grant Specialized Program for Rare and Endangered Fields of Research is now open for applications.

The program aims to support research that are of significant importance to the national development, the preservation of cultural heritage, and cultural security, or that fill critical gaps in existing scholarship. These include, but are not limited to: ancient languages, scripts, and historical studies; the compilation and study of ancient writings and excavated bamboo and wooden manuscripts; the collection, cataloging, and study of editions of historically and culturally significant classical texts; the conservation and study of historical heritage sites along the Ancient Silk Road and the Maritime Silk Road; archaeological research and conservation of grotto temples; the preservation and study of important historical and cultural heritage sites; the preservation and study of traditional villages, historic districts, and ancient architecture; the protection and study of the historical and cultural heritage of China's border and ethnic minority regions; and studies of Chinese dialects and regional cultures. 

Please find more details in the official announcement.

Funding Amount and Period:

The program supports two types of projects, which are 1) Academic Group Projects and 2) Individual Projects.

• For the Academic Group Projects, the funding scale is equivalent to the National Social Science Grant - Major Program, which will provide RMB 800,000 to each project
• For Individual Projects, the funding scale is equivalent to the Key Program, which will provide about RMB 350,000 to each project.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Applicant should be a Chinese citizen, and at least hold a senior professor title or a Ph.D. degree
• To apply for the Academic Group Projects, 1) The lead PI should hold a title equivalent to the Full Professor, have high academic achievements and influence, and have published at least three high-quality academic publications of significant scholarly impact in the relevant areas within the recent five years; 2) Have a stable research group formed based on long-term collaboration, including one lead PI and three to five key members; 3) Group members should hold senior professional titles or Ph.D. degrees. The academic structure and age structure of the group should be reasonable, including scholars aged 40 or below. 4) The PI is expected to develop plan for team building, talent cultivation with emphasis on fostering young researchers.
• Applicants who are PIs of ongoing National Social Science Grant, MOE Humanities & Social Science Major Program, and other national-level major programs, can NOT apply as PIs for the Academic Group Projects
• Applications who are PIs of ongoing National Social Science Grant programs, National Natural Science Grant programs, or other national-level research programs, can NOT apply as PIs for the Individual Projects.
• Please refer to the official announcement for more eligibility information. 

Important Dates: