The supporting unit of the National Natural Science Fund is an important hub for the operation of the science fund system and an important support for the organization and implementation of science fund projects. By the end of 20 10 and 1 year, there were 2257 qualified scientific research institutions registered as supporting units by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Starting from 20 1 1, the newly supported units of NSFC can independently apply for NSFC projects.