Detailed Rules for Application and Management of Open Funds of the Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), Ministry of Education(Revised 2018)

Article 1 – Application Procedures

1. Applicants must apply jointly with a fixed researcher of the Laboratory, and fill out the Application Form for Open Research Fund of the Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (hereinafter referred to as the “Application Form”).

2. The Application Form must be signed by the head of the applicant’s host institution or the dean/chair of the relevant department, and stamped with the official seal of the host institution. The electronic version of the Application Form (including a scanned copy of the signed page) shall be submitted to the Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry.

3. The annual deadline for submission of Open Fund applications is January 30.

Article 2 – Approval Procedures

4. The Laboratory Office is responsible for accepting Open Fund applications. Applications that meet any of the following conditions will not be accepted:

The Application Form is not completed in the required format or the submitted materials are incomplete;

The proposal does not fall within the funded scope;

The applicant has a history of academic misconduct.

5. Open Fund applications are reviewed centrally in January each year. The Laboratory’s Executive Committee conducts the preliminary review, determines evaluation opinions and funding amounts, and the Laboratory Director then issues the project approval letter, notifying the applicants and their host institutions.

Article 3 – Project Management

6. The research period for Open Funds is generally 2–3 years (starting from January 1 of the year of approval). During the project implementation period, the project leader shall visit the Laboratory to deliver academic presentations no fewer than one time, and shall submit an annual progress report before December 15 each year.

7. A fixed researcher of the Laboratory shall serve as the responsible collaborator for the project, responsible for academic liaison, research collaboration, and project and fund management with the Open Fund project leader.

8. Research results achieved under the support of the Open Fund shall be shared between the project leader’s home institution and the Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University). All publications must acknowledge: “Supported by the Open Fund of the Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), Ministry of Education” (or in English: Supported by the Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry (Shaanxi Normal University), Ministry of Education). Publications without such acknowledgement will not be counted as project outputs.

9. Researchers of Open Fund projects shall complete the research work as specified in the project task plan and produce high‑level research outputs. Publications in domestic or international academic journals or important international conferences in the field of applied surface and colloid chemistry are encouraged. Upon project conclusion, the following minimum requirements shall be met:

For Key Projects: Complete the expected research objectives and publish no fewer than 2 papers in high‑level academic journals in the field of applied surface and colloid chemistry (SCI(E) Q2) or equivalent achievements.

For General Projects: Complete the expected research objectives and publish no fewer than 1 paper in academic journals in the field of applied surface and colloid chemistry (SCI(E) Q2 or above) or equivalent achievements.

10. Within one month after project completion, the project leader shall submit the Project Final Report (both hard copy and electronic version) to the Laboratory. The final report shall be reviewed and signed by the responsible collaborator, and then submitted to the Laboratory for final evaluation. Based on the review, the Laboratory will give an assessment rating of Excellent, Qualified, or Unqualified. For projects with outstanding achievements or significant research value, the Laboratory may provide rolling support. Failure to submit the final report on time will result in the project leader being placed on a “blacklist”, disqualifying them from future participation in any Laboratory activities, and the responsible collaborator will also lose the eligibility to receive the Laboratory’s annual construction fund allocation for that year. After project conclusion, project leaders are encouraged to continue submitting relevant research outputs to the Laboratory.

Article 4 – Financial Management

11. Funding intensity for Open Fund Key Projects shall not exceed 60,000 RMB per project, and for General Projects shall not exceed 30,000 RMB per project. The funding amount may be adjusted annually according to the total budget available, the number of applications received, and the quality of proposals. Funds are disbursed according to an annual expenditure plan: 60% of the total funding may be spent in the first year, and the remainder will be released based on the mid‑term progress report.

12. For Open Fund projects established with self‑raised funds from fixed researchers of the Laboratory, the Laboratory will provide matching funds at 50% of the self‑raised amount (up to a maximum of 30,000 RMB). The matching funds will be disbursed to the fixed researcher after the project is successfully completed and passes the final assessment.

13. Scope of fund utilization: Funds may be used for travel expenses related to academic exchanges, materials, reagents, testing, processing, and other research‑related costs as needed for the project.

14. Contact Information

Contact Person: Dang Liqin

Address: Room 1559, Zhizhi Building, Shaanxi Normal University, No. 620 West Chang’an Avenue, Chang’an District, Xi’an, 710119, P.R. China

Tel/Fax: 029-81530811

 E‑mail: klascc@snnu.edu.cn

Attachments (download counts shown for reference):

 [Application Form.doc]

 [Project Plan.doc]