Analysis on project funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China in geriatric medicine / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To review the development and progress of geriatric research in China from the perspective of funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and to provide supporting data for further development of the field.Methods:Based on project funding data of the National Natural Science Foundation of China for geriatric medicine from 2008 to 2017, the number and composition of projects, funding amount and funded institutions were statistically analyzed, and the overall trend of change was examined.The research hotspots in recent years were summarized by using word frequency analysis.Results:From 2008 to 2017, a total of 446 projects were approved in the field of geriatric medicine.Both the number of projects and the amount of funding showed an increasing trend.Project types were gradually expanded and the composition was constantly optimized.Since 2014, the fund types each year included 6 or more and breakthroughs in major projects were achieved.East China remained the leading region in the number of projects and amount of funding, with Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang receiving the highest numbers of project approvals and accounting for more than 10% of the national total in the number of project approvals and the amount of funding.During this period, 114 institutions received funding, with 74 winning 2 or more projects.In word frequency analysis, senescence(229 times), cell(161 times)and protein(120 times)were the three most frequently used keywords.Conclusions:In the field of geriatric medicine, the project approval level from the National Natural Science Foundation of China has significantly improved in quantity and quality, but it has always been under-represented in the branch of medical sciences.The regional and institutional distribution of projects is unbalanced and tends to skew in favor of institutions with prominent academic disciplines.Basic research is the main type of funded projects.Geriatric research is centered on the mechanisms of aging.