Promote the development of medical science in China by optimizing the layout of medical disciplines

Abstract

In recent years, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) fully implemented the decisions and arrangements of the State Council on strengthening basic research, set the goal to build a science fund system in the new era with advanced concepts, standardized systems, fairness and efficiency, and made the optimizing layout of research areas as one of the three major reform tasks in the reform plan on the funding system of the National Natural Science Fund. The layout of research areas is the soft infrastructure to promote the development of science and technology, which undertakes an important mission. A good discipline layout is conducive to the improvement of scientific and technological innovation ability, to meet the needs of national economic and social development, and to foster talented researchers. The new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating. Technological iteration, industrial upgrading and system restructuring bring new opportunities and challenges to medical research. With the development of medical science, understanding of life and health continues to expand; exploration and cognition of diseases continue to deepen. The research and knowledge system has been extended, differentiated, and replaced. Frontier disciplines, emerging disciplines and interdisciplinary research areas continue to emerge. Therefore, the layout of research areas also needs to be continuously adjusted and optimized, covering cutting-edge scientific ideas in a timely manner, and undertaking knowledge of emerging areas, in order to lead the in-depth development of basic medical research, promote the coordinated solution of technical problems, and foster innovative medical talents. To meet the development needs of health science research, the Department of Health Sciences in NSFC adjusts and optimizes the coding system for fund application, so that it could better fund the research in the frontier fields and emerging disciplines of medical science, strengthen the guidance on weak disciplines, promote scientific paradigm shift and the integration of knowledge and application. In line with China's 14th Five-year Plan, the Department of Health Sciences has made its development plan on the basis of the medium- and long-term goals of all disciplines within its framework. The department stays committed to encouraging free exploration in the frontier areas of medical research and addressing core scientific subjects in major needs, so as to set its funding priorities and policies. With optimized coding system for fund application, clarified priority areas for development, well-designed project outlook, and coordinated discipline layout, the Department of Health Sciences strives to build a science fund management system that meets the needs of medical science development and talent training in the new era, and to take a scientific approach in medical innovation and promote its development in China at large.