NewsINBAR and NSFC open joint research funding call on bamboo and rattan
The call seeks to fund research into assessing and efficiently utilizing global bamboo and rattan resources, while contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Since signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Beijing in December 2025, the International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) have steadily deepened cooperation in bamboo and rattan science, technology and innovation.
On 19 May 2026, the cooperation took a concrete step forward when the Sustainable Development International Cooperation Science Program (SDIC) released two batches of calls for proposals, with INBAR listed as one of the participating funding partners. This officially opens the application window for INBAR-NSFC joint projects under the SDIC framework, supporting academic exchanges and joint research among Chinese and overseas researchers.
The joint projects focus on two funding priorities: (1) the global assessment of bamboo and rattan resources, and (2) the efficient utilization of bamboo and rattan resources. Applicants should base their proposals on distinctive bamboo and rattan resource endowments and industrial strengths. Proposals should focus on the spatio-temporal distribution patterns of global bamboo and rattan resources, efficient resource utilization, technological innovation and application, climate change adaptation, poverty alleviation, income growth, as well as multi-dimensional interaction mechanisms between ecological environments and social development. All projects should target cutting-edge research questions and core technological bottlenecks to facilitate international research collaboration.
Dou Xiankang, President of the NSFC (left), and Jiang Zehui, Co-Chair of the INBAR Board of Trustees (right), shaking hands at the MoU Signing Ceremony in Beijing, China on 1 December 2025.
Initiated by NSFC in partnership with international organizations and research funding bodies worldwide, the SDIC aims to carry out joint scientific research addressing global challenges and accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
As the only intergovernmental organization dedicated to the conservation and sustainable utilization of bamboo and rattan resources, INBAR has grown into a high-level international cooperation platform comprising 52 Member States and 3 Observers over nearly three decades of development. The partnership between INBAR and NSFC will advance basic research in the bamboo and rattan sector, develop scientific talent and generate high-quality research outputs, consolidate scientific and technological foundations for sound development of the global bamboo and rattan industry, and contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions to the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
