An analysis of projects in radiation oncology funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China from 2006 to 2015

Abstract

Objective To analyze the application and funding for projects in radiation oncology from National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC) from 2006 to 2015. Methods To collect the funding information in radiation oncology from NNSFC from 2006 to 2015, a computerized search was performed in the ISIS system using a subject code of H1610 and a keyword of radiation oncology. Analyses were performed in distribution of research fields, the geographical distribution of applicants, and the properties of institutes/universities the applicants were affiliated with. Results In the last decade, a total of 435 projects in the field of radiation oncology were funded with 180 million yuan. Most projects were funded by general, youth, and regional foundation, which covered the highest proportion of NNSFC. For a single project, the amounts of funding from general, youth, and regional foundations were 530, 220, and 400 thousand yuan, respectively. The institutes/universities the NNSFC-funded projects were affiliated with were located quite close to each other. The top 10 institutes/universities in terms of the number of NNSFC-funded projects covered 53% of projects. In all projects, 88% studied basic science, which covered many hot topics in oncology including biological effects of radiotherapy, microenvironment, and stem cells. A small number (12%) of projects focused on physics. Top 3 cancers in terms of the number of projects and the amount of funding were lung cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and esophagus cancer. Conclusions In the last decade, the field of radiation oncology has stable increases in the number of NNSFC-funded projects and the amount of funding. The NNSFC-funded research teams are unevenly distributed, most of which are located in East China. The most popular topic in basic science studies is about biological effects of radiotherapy. Key words: National Natural Science Foundation of China; Funding analysis; Neoplasms radiotherapy