It is another important part of the funding model of the National Natural Science Foundation. It is mainly composed of National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (including foreigners), Overseas Young Scholars Cooperative Research Fund, Hong Kong and Macao Young Scholars Cooperative Research Fund, Innovative Research Group Science Fund and National Basic Science Talent Training Fund, including:

National outstanding youth fund

National Outstanding Youth Fund (foreign)

Overseas young scholars cooperative research fund

Hong Kong and Macao Young Scholars Cooperative Research Fund

Science Fund of Innovation Research Group

The National Basic Science Talent Training Fund Joint Fund is a kind of funding category jointly funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. It aims to promote the integration of Industry-University-Research, guide other government departments or industries to invest in areas or directions of common concern, support basic research and applied basic research, and solve basic science problems in practical application. The purpose is to accelerate the industrialization of basic research achievements, solve key scientific problems needed by the industry, provide technical reserves for the industry, enhance the independent innovation ability of enterprises and promote.

Joint funds are divided into co-funded funds and co-funded projects. The former is to fund several projects in accordance with the guidelines every year for a certain period of time, while the latter is to jointly fund a specific project. Special projects are those established by the Natural Science Foundation to support or strengthen a certain field or aspect, including the Tianyuan Fund for Mathematics and the Special Fund for Basic Research of Scientific Instruments. Among them, the Mathematics Tianyuan Fund does not participate in the limited retrieval of various projects, and the special fund for basic research of scientific instruments is included in the limited retrieval scope of key projects.