Government and Policy

Top leader urges more funding for social sciences

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-21 10:06

BEIJING - Senior Chinese leader Li Changchun has called for more funding to be invested in the country's academic research in philosophy and social sciences.

Li, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks here Friday in his speech at the opening of a national annual conference on social science funding application review and selection.

The national funding for social sciences should be taken as a guidance for the country's social sciences development, Li said.

Li said the new development of the domestic and international situation had called for more efforts to promote the general development of philosophy and social science research .

Philosophy and social sciences could function as a think tank for society and should be used to assist Chinese society, he said.

Moreover, Li urged efforts be made to enhance academic innovation in research as well as to increase the voice and influences of China's social science research in the international community.

This year's national funding for social science research s has received applications from 21,180 projects. After an initial review, about 6,000 projects were listed for the final selection.

The conference will further review the project applications and select 2,900 of them for the national funding plan.