China Convenes 2026 National Social Science Fund Annual Review Meeting

Chinese authorities held the 2026 National Social Science Fund annual project review meeting in Beijing on August 30, with Central Committee Political Bureau member and Publicity Department head Li Shulei delivering keynote remarks. According to official reports, the meeting outlined funding priorities for philosophy and social sciences, calling on scholars to study Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, accelerate the construction of an autonomous Chinese knowledge system, deepen institutional reforms in fund management, and leverage digital and intelligent technologies in research.

The National Social Science Fund is China's highest-level grantmaker for humanities and social sciences. Its annual review guidelines set research funding priorities across universities, state think tanks, and research institutes nationwide, determining which academic disciplines and policy topics receive state backing.

China held its 2026 National Social Science Fund annual project review meeting in Beijing on August 30, outlining the country's strategic priorities for humanities and social science research funding. Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the CPC Central Committee's Publicity Department, attended the gathering and delivered a speech, according to official media reports. The meeting stated that instructions from General Secretary Xi Jinping provide the fundamental guidance and clear requirements for advancing the high-quality development of philosophy and social sciences. Officials urged the academic community to study Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, align work across all disciplines with central directives, and harness research outcomes to support national development goals. According to official readouts, attendees emphasized that Chinese modernization provides a practical foundation and broad scope for innovation in the social sciences. The meeting urged scholars to continuously deepen the systematic and academic interpretation of the Party's innovative theories as a primary task. Furthermore, it stressed the need to accelerate the construction of China's autonomous knowledge system in philosophy and social sciences, study practical and theoretical issues arising from Chinese modernization, advance the creative transformation of traditional Chinese culture, and promote mutual learning among international civilizations. The review conference also called for institutional reforms within research administration. Meeting participants highlighted the need to build management mechanisms and organizational formats tailored to solving genuine practical problems, deepen systemic reforms of the National Social Science Fund, advocate rigorous academic ethics, refine evaluation frameworks, stimulate research vitality, and promote digital and intelligent empowerment across social science research.