A dedicated fund for state capital grants to supercharge breakthroughs in China’s aircraft-technology research will soon accept applications and identify recipients, as Beijing builds on the momentum of home-grown jets such as the C919 to develop domestic aviation solutions and components.
The fund, established by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and National Natural Science Foundation in June, will bankroll “large aircraft” research programmes focusing on basic, forward-looking and innovative theories and technologies, according to an update on Tuesday.
State media reported that each qualified project could receive an average of 2.6 million yuan (US$355,000) over a period of up to four years. Tuesday’s announcement said applications will be accepted from March 1-20, followed by a process to identify qualified recipients.
The total size of the state research fund has not been disclosed, but industry insiders have put low-end estimates at several billion yuan.
