A Ministry of Science and Technology official said Monday that the state's key pure science research projects are now open to bidding from EU institutions, in line with a sci-tech cooperative treaty.

The primary focuses of this batch of projects include: biological research on vital economic crops and livestock, agricultural ecological control, research on agricultural product safety, clean use of coal, exploitation and use of oil and natural gas, recycled energy, software and virtual reality research, network safety, climate change, water resources, mineral exploitation, ecology and environment, infectious diseases, traditional Chinese medicine and materials science.

According to rules set by the ministry, applicants from the EU must join at least two Chinese research institutions to qualify.

Chinese scientists who are now foreign citizens and scientists from the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan can also play leading roles in such projects, said the official.

The most successful applicants could get funds worth over 30 million yuan (US$3.63 million) and the others may get financial support valued at less than 15 million yuan (US$1.81 million), the official said.

Applicants should log onto www.973.gov.cn to apply online by March 14, the official said.

The state science and technology working leading group approved the 973 Plan for state research projects at its third plenary meeting in 1997 when it decided to strengthen pure science research.

From 1998 to 2003, 3.3 billion yuan (US$399 million) worth of state budgets were put into 157 projects under the 973 Plan.

(Xinhua News Agency January 25, 2005)