[SMM Hydrogen Energy Policy Update] National Energy Administration: Notice on the Application Guidelines for the 2025 Annual Projects of the National Key R&D Program's Key Special Projects on "Hydrogen Energy Technology" and "Energy Storage and Smart Power

On May 22, the National Science and Technology Management Information System Public Service Platform issued the "Notice from the National Energy Administration on Issuing the 2025 Project Application Guidelines for Key Special Programs under the National Key R&D Program for 'Hydrogen Energy Technology' and 'Energy Storage and Smart Grid Technology'."

The Notice clarifies the application process for project organization as follows:

1. Applicant organizations shall organize their applications in the form of projects based on the research content outlined in the guidelines. Projects should be submitted as a whole, covering all research content and assessment indicators specified in the corresponding guidelines. Each project shall have one principal investigator, and each subproject shall have one principal investigator. The project principal investigator may serve as the principal investigator for one of the subprojects.

2. Integrate advantageous innovation teams and actively involve female researchers in project R&D. Focus on the tasks outlined in the guidelines, strengthen the coordination and linkage among basic research, the development of generic and key technologies, and typical application demonstrations, concentrate efforts, and collaborate on tackling key challenges. Encourage capable female researchers to lead and undertake tasks as project (or subproject) principal investigators.

3. The key special programs under the National Key R&D Program covered by these guidelines adopt a single-round application process.

The Notice emphasizes the eligibility requirements for applicants:

1. The lead applicant organization and participating organizations should be research institutes, universities, or enterprises registered within the territory of mainland China, possessing independent legal person status, registered before May 31, 2024, with strong scientific and technological R&D capabilities and conditions, and operating under standardized management. State organs are not permitted to lead or participate in the application.

The lead applicant organization, participating organizations, and project team members should have a good credit record, with no records of serious scientific misconduct under penalty or on the "blacklist" of credit in related social fields during the penalty enforcement period.

An applicant organization can only submit an application for the same project through a single recommending organization and is not allowed to submit multiple or duplicate applications.

2. The project (or subproject) principal investigator must hold a senior professional title or a doctoral degree, be born after January 1, 1965, and dedicate no less than six months per year to project work.

3. In principle, the project (or subproject) principal investigator should be the individual who proposed the main research ideas for the project (or subproject) and is the actual leading researcher in scientific and technological endeavors. Civil servants from central and local state organs at all levels (including other personnel performing functions related to the management of scientific and technological programs) are not allowed to apply for projects (or subprojects).

4. Experts who participated in the formulation of the implementation plan for key special programs or the compilation of the project guidelines for the current year are, in principle, not allowed to apply for projects (or subprojects) under the same key special program.