China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) invested 9 billion yuan (US$108 million) of state budgetary funds into 15,000 national research and development projects in 2003.

MOST spokesman Shi Dinghuan said here Thursday that new technologies, new materials and new equipment, which were brought about by these national projects, provided impetus to the country's economic development.

In addition to the high technology R&D program which is known as the 863 Program, advancement project on key technologies, and basic scientific R&D program which is known as the 973 Program, the ministry also initiated a special program on 12 significant technologies since July 2002.

"We've gained a lot from those national programs," Shi said, citing that Chinese scientists invented their own central processing units (CPU) and digital signal processors (DSP), the hearts of computers.

Medical researchers also created an injection of gene therapy, coded as p53, fighting against human tumors, Shi said.

An e-government network, which has already been tried out in south China's Guangdong Province, will be introduced to the State Council, or the Chinese cabinet.

In the fight against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the ministry organized nationwide research teams in 61 sub-projects. The whole research, up to now, has cost nearly 110 million yuan.

Shi said that the national science and technology projects would focus more on large-scale integrated circuits, computer software, high-performance computers, high-speed network, bio-chips, genetic medicine, electronic automobiles, maglevs, robots, recycled energy and advanced materials.

The national projects also helped cultivate groups of excellent young scientists, Shi said.

Half members of research teams under the 863 Program were under the age of 45 while in the 973 one third of leading scientists in various groups were younger than 45 years, Shi said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2004)