Shandong Provincial Department of Science and Technology: Notice on Organizing the Application Work for the 2025 Shandong Provincial Key Research and Development Plan (Science and Technology Cooperation) Projects

To the science and technology bureaus of various cities, relevant departments directly under the provincial government, and all relevant units:

In order to thoroughly implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping on building a new highland of high-level opening up to the outside world and the relevant work arrangements of the provincial party committee and government, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Management Measures for Key R&D Plans (Science and Technology Cooperation) Projects in Shandong Province", the 2025 Shandong Province Key R&D Plan (Science and Technology Cooperation) Project Guidelines (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines) are now released. Please organize and carry out project application work in accordance with the requirements. The relevant matters are notified as follows:

1、 Declaration project category

This application project is a science and technology cooperation project, which is included in the key research and development plan of Shandong Province for management.

2、 Declaration conditions and requirements

The application conditions for this project include both common and individual conditions. The project application should meet the following common conditions while also meeting the individual conditions required in the guidelines for the topic.

1. The project application must cover all the contents and assessment indicators listed in the corresponding guidelines, and the project name can be specified according to the direction of the guidelines. The project implementation cycle is generally 3 years.

2. The leading applicant is the executing entity of the project implementation, which must be a legally registered enterprise, institution of higher education, research institute, and new research and development institution with independent legal personality within Shandong Province. The registration period is one year (as of June 30, 2025), and it must have the corresponding foundation and ability for foreign scientific and technological exchange and cooperation, strong scientific research conditions and R&D strength, and standardized management and operation. The number of cooperating units for each project should not exceed 4 in principle.

3. The cooperating country (region) must meet the requirements of the guidelines, with at least one cooperating unit from that country (region). Under this premise, there may be cooperating units from other countries (regions).

The leading applicant should have a good cooperation foundation with foreign partners and sign agreements for joint project application, joint research and development, or technology transfer. The validity period of the agreement should cover the project implementation cycle. The agreement generally includes versions in Chinese, English, and the official language of the cooperating party.

Foreign partners should have strong technical strength or high scientific research level, and have certain personnel, funds or equipment investment. According to actual needs, partners can participate in cooperation through technology investment (including proprietary technology and drawing materials, etc.), scientific research equipment, intellectual property, and other means.

4. Domestic cooperative units should have independent legal person qualifications, and the leading applying unit must review and be responsible for the application qualifications of domestic cooperative units, and sign a joint application agreement. The joint application agreement must clearly stipulate the tasks, goals, responsibilities, and funding (including provincial allocated financial and self raised funds) that each party undertakes, as well as the ownership of the results. The validity period of the agreement must cover the project implementation cycle.

If there is any confidential content in the application materials, it needs to be declassified before filing. The same project can only be recommended for application by one supervisory department, and multiple or duplicate applications are not allowed.

6. The project leader should be the proposer of the main research ideas and the actual research leader of the project, familiar with the development trends of relevant technologies and industries at home and abroad, have a research level and ability that matches the requirements of the project task, and generally not exceed 60 years old. The project leader should be able to lead the completion of project research work during the task period and comprehensively manage the entire process of project implementation, including technical routes, schedule arrangements, and standardized use of funds.

7. Encourage close integration between project implementation, talent cultivation and introduction, and innovation platform construction; Encourage young scientists to apply for projects as project leaders; Encourage and support foreign scientists and scientists from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan who are employed by provincial units to apply for projects as project leaders. Full time employed personnel must provide valid materials for full-time employment from the provincial employing unit, while part-time employed personnel must provide valid materials for employment from both units and submit them as proof of project application.

8. All projects in this batch will be supported by non fixed amount funding, with a principle of 400000 to 600000 RMB for each project. If the leading applicant is an enterprise, it shall be matched with a ratio of not less than 2:1 between self raised funds and provincial-level financial science and technology funds applied for. The sales revenue or registered capital of the previous year shall not be less than the amount of provincial financial support applied for. Proof materials such as financial audit reports for the past two years, explanations of research and development investment, and proof of funding support must be provided (for those registered for less than two years, relevant proof materials since registration must be provided).

9. The project budget must include the budgets of the leading applicant unit and domestic cooperating units, and the proportion of the budget for using provincial financial science and technology funds should match the tasks they undertake. If the project approval support funds do not reach the application limit, the leading applicant and cooperating units of the project should promise to solve the difference by increasing self raised funds.

10. The same researcher shall lead the application for no more than one provincial-level science and technology plan project in this year. The project leader shall spend no less than 6 months of work time on the project each year, and the project participants shall spend no less than 4 months of work time on the project each year. The total annual working time of each researcher for ongoing research and provincial-level project application shall not exceed 12 months. The total number of ongoing and under application projects led by the same independent legal entity enterprise shall not exceed 2, and the total number of ongoing and under application projects participated in shall not exceed 2. The number of projects led by the same independent legal entity enterprise to apply for provincial science and technology plans and special task categories in the same year shall not exceed one. Those within the scope of other restrictions set by the Provincial Department of Science and Technology are not allowed to apply. The above restrictions require automatic identification through the declaration system.

The working hours of project leaders and participants for ongoing projects can be adjusted annually. After adjustment, the project leader shall spend no less than 6 months of work time on the project each year, and the project participants shall spend no less than 4 months of work time on the project each year. For applicants who participate in projects as full-time students (including undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students) and are currently employed, projects that were previously participated in as full-time students will not be counted towards the applicant's current annual working time for the project. Projects under development that expire before December 31, 2025 and have not submitted an extension application will not be counted towards the applicant's current annual working time for the project. Please refer to the "Relevant Explanation on the Restrictions for Provincial Science and Technology Plan Project Application" released by Shandong Science and Technology Cloud Platform on April 18, 2025 for specific instructions on the above matters.

11. The leading applicant and project leader must sign a letter of commitment to integrity. The leading declaration unit, cooperative units, and all participants must have a good scientific research integrity status, have no record of serious scientific research dishonesty during the disciplinary execution period, and not be on the social credit "blacklist". The leading applicant and cooperating units of the project comply with the "green threshold" system.

12. The leading and cooperating units shall be responsible for the authenticity of the indicators, data, relevant certificates, and attachment materials involved in the application materials, and shall bear the consequences caused by providing false materials on their own. After the acceptance of the application project, in principle, the leading application unit, cooperative unit, and project leader cannot be changed, and the content of the application materials cannot be changed.

13. Administrative organs at all levels and their personnel (including other personnel who exercise the function of science and technology plan management) shall not lead or participate in the application of projects.

3、 Declaration process

1. Check the project guide. According to work requirements, the content of the guide is provided through the Shandong Provincial Science and Technology Cloud Platform（ https://cloud.kjt.shandong.gov.cn/ ）-The Shandong Province Science and Technology Cooperation Project Management System and other channels have been released.

2. Fill in the project online. The project leader logs in to their personal application account in the project management system corresponding to the Shandong Science and Technology Cloud Platform, and fills out the project application form and budget application form online according to the relevant prompts and requirements of the system. All required attachments in the application materials are uploaded in electronic scanned copies. The Provincial Department of Science and Technology will use the application form and attachment materials filled out online as the basis for subsequent formal review and project evaluation.

3. Lead the application unit for review. After all the application materials are filled out, the project leader should promptly submit them to the leading application unit for review. The deadline for the leading application unit to review is 17:00 on July 24th. If the deadline is exceeded, the application materials cannot be submitted again.

4. Recommended by the competent department. After the leading declaration unit approves the review, the application materials will be submitted to the relevant competent department. The supervisory departments at all levels shall review and recommend according to the procedures, and finally the first level supervisory department shall approve and recommend to the Provincial Department of Science and Technology. The first level supervisory departments include the science and technology bureaus of each district and city, universities under the Ministry of Education stationed in Shandong, and relevant departments (units) directly under the provincial government. The deadline for the first level supervisory department to review and recommend is 17:00 on July 25th, and the overdue system will be automatically closed.

4、 Precautions

1. Please lead the project application unit and relevant authorities at all levels to arrange the application time reasonably, complete the filling, modification, submission, return and review work in advance, and avoid centralized return, submission and review near the deadline. Before 17:00 on July 24th, the application materials can be submitted and returned multiple times between the competent department, the leading application unit, and the applicant. The leading application unit will not be able to submit after the deadline.

To reduce the burden on researchers, no relevant paper materials are required for this application; After the preliminary determination of the project approval plan, the approved project needs to provide a complete set of paper materials for archiving and preservation. The paper materials should be completely consistent with the online application materials, otherwise the project approval qualification will be cancelled.

3. The Provincial Department of Science and Technology does not entrust any unit or individual to engage in agency services such as project application and approval; We do not advocate or recommend that the leading reporting unit entrust any unit or individual to provide intermediary services for a fee. Please lead the declaration unit and cooperative units to remain vigilant and avoid being deceived, causing unnecessary losses. We reserve the right to pursue legal responsibility for acts that seriously infringe upon the reputation and harm the interests of the Provincial Department of Science and Technology.

4. Cadres and employees of directly affiliated institutions of the Provincial Department of Science and Technology who participate in project applications shall comply with the relevant provisions of the "Implementation Measures for Standardizing Innovation and Entrepreneurship of Cadres and Employees" issued by the Party Group of the Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Participants in the project application should proactively report to their respective units and the Provincial Department of Science and Technology.

Business consultation hotline: 0531-51751558

Technical Support Phone: 0531-5175108051751143

Shandong Provincial Department of Science and Technology

July 4, 2025