You can apply for the same topic for two years in a row. If you apply for the same topic for two consecutive years, you need to suspend it once in the third year. If the topic is different, you can apply continuously.

Legal basis:

Article 7 A fund management institution shall formulate a fund development plan and an annual fund project guide according to the national economic and social development plan, scientific and technological development plan and scientific and technological development status. The fund development plan shall specify the priority development areas, and the annual fund project guide shall specify the priority support project scope. The National Natural Science Foundation of China has set up special funds to train young scientific and technical talents.

When formulating the fund development plan and the annual fund project guide, the fund management institution shall widely listen to the opinions of institutions of higher learning, scientific research institutions, academic groups and relevant state organs and enterprises, and organize relevant experts to conduct scientific argumentation. The annual fund project guide shall be published 30 days before the start of accepting applications for fund-funded projects.