An official with China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) said Friday that the state will support 31 research projects in the next five years.

The projects funded by MOST include genetic research related tocrops, genome research on cotton fiber, coal gasification and liquefaction technologies, pollution control and ecological restoration in the Northeast industrial belt, cancer prevention and treatment, membrane protein structure and function, said ZhangXian'en, director of MOST Department for Basic Research.

Zhang did not specify the total budget of the projects. But, according to statistics released by the Chinese government, the research and development (R&D) expenditure accounted for 1.32 percent of the gross domestic product last year.

MOST selected 31 projects out of 263 online applications.

China launched a state project to promote research and development in March 1997. The 973 Program focuses on agriculture,energy, information, natural resources, life sciences and materials research.

After five years, the first batch of 15 research projects funded under 973 Program was examined by state expert panels last year. Eleven out of the total will be still financed in the comingfive years.

The state mid and long-term research and development strategy will allocate 15 percent of total R&D expenditure from 2010 to 2020 to the state's basic research, or 973 projects.

"Considering shortage of R&D funds," Vice Minister of Science and Technology Cheng Jinpei said, "we need to gather those funds into key research projects and make wise strategy for development."

Source: Xinhua