Notice from the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province on Organizing the Application for the 2026–2027 Provincial Key Field R&D Program: "Intelligent Robotics" Special Project
To relevant provincial departments, Science and Technology (Innovation) Bureaus of all prefecture-level cities, the Industrial Development Bureau of the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone (A major cross-border cooperation zone between Guangdong and Macao), and all relevant entities:
To thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and all plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, fully carry out General Secretary Xi Jinping's important directives on scientific and technological innovation and the development of the robotics industry, and implement the "1310" specific deployment of the Provincial Party Committee (Guangdong's overarching strategic plan for high-quality development), the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province (hereinafter referred to as the Provincial S&T Department) hereby launches the application process for the 2026–2027 Guangdong Provincial Key Field R&D Program: "Intelligent Robotics" Special Project, in accordance with the "15th Five-Year Plan" Action Plan for Guangdong Provincial Key Field R&D Programs (The strategic R&D plan for the 2026-2030 period). The application guidelines are attached as Annex 1. Relevant matters are notified as follows:
1. Application Requirements
(一) The lead applicant must be an enterprise, research institute, university, other public institution, or industry organization registered within the province with independent legal entity status, as well as higher education institutions and research institutions from the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions. The lead applicant must possess significant advantages, strong R&D capabilities, or resource integration capabilities in this field, and undertake core research organization tasks. The lead applicant should focus on industry-university-research collaboration and integrate superior resources both inside and outside the province. In principle, the total number of lead and participating entities for a single project shall not exceed five. Task allocation must be clear and explicit, and all participating entities must undertake substantive research tasks.
(二) Applicants must carefully prepare their budget, apply based on actual needs, and comply with the guidelines. Applied projects must have self-raised funding, which should, in principle, account for no less than 70% of the total project investment. Joint funding from the municipal government where the project is located is encouraged. The financial funds allocated to each entity should match the workload they undertake. The lead applicant should, in principle, receive the largest share of financial funding. Enterprises registered outside the province are not eligible to receive financial funds.
(三) Applicants for the Provincial Key Field R&D Program are generally not subject to limits on the number of ongoing projects. However, dispersing efforts by the same research team or entity is discouraged. When applying for the same special project, a single legal entity (excluding higher education institutions) is generally allowed to lead and participate in no more than three projects. High-tech enterprises with an average annual R&D expenditure of no less than 50 million RMB over the past three years may apply for up to six projects (leading no more than two).
(四) The Project Principal Investigator (PI) (The primary researcher responsible for leading the project) should play a coordinating and leadership role and, in principle, should come from the lead applicant. They must substantively participate in the organization and implementation of the project to prevent the phenomenon of merely attaching the names of high-end experts in the field. If a PI from a non-lead entity is required due to project needs, supporting documents such as an employment agreement, a consent letter from the original employer, and a commitment letter regarding the time投入 (time commitment) of the individual and their team must be provided.
(五) Project content must be authentic and credible; exaggeration of capabilities, technologies, or economic indicators is strictly prohibited. All applicants are responsible for the authenticity of their application materials. Applicants and recommending units must strictly implement the Regulations on the Investigation and Handling of Violations in Scientific and Technological Activities (Ministry of Science and Technology Order No. 24) and the Integrity Management Measures for Science and Technology Plan Projects of the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province (Yue Ke Gui Fan Zi [2024] No. 2). They must strengthen the review of application materials and eliminate exaggeration, falsehoods, or even fraud. Both the applying entities and the PI must sign a Commitment Letter on the Authenticity of Application Materials (templates can be downloaded from the Sunshine E-Government Platform system and must be stamped with the official seal). Once a project is approved, technical, product, and economic assessment indicators shall not be modified or adjusted without justified reasons.
(六) A PI or applying entity shall not apply or pass qualification review under any of the following circumstances:
1. The PI has three or more unreleased Guangdong Provincial S&T Plan projects (excluding platform, universal policy, and post-subsidy projects), has a project overdue for acceptance by more than one year, or has already applied for two projects in the current year;
2. The PI has unreleased ongoing Guangdong Provincial Major S&T Special Projects or Key Field R&D Program projects (in such cases, the PI may still participate as a team member);
3. The same project is applied for multiple times or repeatedly by changing the topic name;
4. The main content of the project has already been applied for by the entity alone or jointly with others and has been approved by the Provincial S&T Plan;
5. Projects from entities within the province are not recommended by the competent S&T authorities;
6. There are records of serious research misconduct under active disciplinary execution, or records on social credit "blacklists" such as those for dishonest persons subject to enforcement by courts;
7. Other relevant circumstances.
(七) Applied projects must meet the specific application conditions of each thematic direction in the guidelines. The scientific research involved must strictly adhere to technical standards and ethical norms, and comply with national laws, regulations, and relevant provisions.
(八) Thematic Direction 2 under Theme 3 in this guideline is a provincial-municipal joint project commissioned to Dongguan City. Applications must be officially recommended via a formal letter from the Dongguan Municipal People's Government.
2. Application Methods
(一) Project applications are submitted online in a paperless manner. Eligible entities or individuals can log in to the "Guangdong Provincial Government Services Website" or the "Guangdong Provincial S&T Business Management Sunshine E-Government Platform (http://pro.gdstc.gd.gov.cn)" (A unified online platform for managing provincial science and technology projects) to view specific guideline documents and submit relevant materials. Necessary supporting documents, including technical, financial, intellectual property, cooperation agreements, commitment letters, and recommendation letters, must be uploaded as attachments. Enterprises must also upload their corporate income tax returns for the previous year. If there is an affiliated relationship between the lead and participating entities, a truthful explanation must be provided and uploaded. If submission via the network is genuinely unsuitable, the applying entity must submit a written application, which can be processed offline after review and approval by the Provincial S&T Department.
(二) Guideline documents are for reference only by applicants and shall not be reproduced or published.
(三) If written materials are required during the project evaluation and assessment process, professional institutions will notify applicants separately.
(四) After a project is approved according to procedures, the hard copies of the project application form and task assignment document (A formal contract detailing project goals, budgets, and milestones) must be submitted to the Comprehensive Business Service Hall of the Provincial S&T Department (both must be signed and stamped; specific submission times and requirements will be notified separately).
3. Evaluation and Project Approval Instructions
Provincial Key Field R&D Program projects are evaluated by third-party professional institutions. The evaluation covers the project's background, rationale, technical route, research capabilities, schedule, budget, and performance goals, along with specialized assessments such as intellectual property:
(一) Plagiarism Check and Technical Advancement Analysis: Big data analysis technology will be used to conduct plagiarism checks and analyze the advancement of proposed projects.
(二) Intellectual Property Analysis and Evaluation: Project outcomes should generally include high-quality intellectual property. Applying entities are requested to strengthen their IP management in accordance with the Guidelines for High-Quality Intellectual Property Analysis and Evaluation (Annex 2), set high-quality IP targets for the project, elaborate on these in the feasibility report, and provide necessary supporting materials (the feasibility report outline can be downloaded from the Sunshine E-Government Platform system). Projects should not simply use the number of patents or papers as their sole objectives.
(三) Approved projects will be incorporated into the project database after review and approval according to procedures. Financial support will be disbursed in batches based on the annual fiscal budget and project implementation status, with funds allocated in stages according to project progress.
(四) For thematic directions (or projects) adopting the "competitive selection" approach (A funding mechanism where only the best proposals are selected) in this guideline, if the number of valid applications is less than three, it will be deemed insufficiently competitive, and will not enter the evaluation process or be approved. If the number of valid applications reaches three or more, in principle, only one project will be approved after evaluation.
4. Application Timeline
The centralized online application period for applying entities is from August 7, 2026, to 17:00 on September 7, 2026. The deadline for online review and recommendation by competent authorities is 17:00 on September 17, 2026.
5. Contact Information
(一) Provincial S&T Department (Thematic Business Consultation): 020-83163385, 83163484.
(二) Comprehensive Business Service Hall of the Provincial S&T Department (System Technical Support): 020-83163930, 83163338.
(三) Provincial S&T Department (General Business Consultation): 020-83163834.
6. Attachments:
1. 2026–2027 Guangdong Provincial Key Field R&D Program "Intelligent Robotics" Special Project Application Guidelines
2. Guidelines for High-Quality Intellectual Property Analysis and Evaluation
(Friendly Reminder: Please log in to the Guangdong Provincial S&T Business Management Sunshine E-Government Platform to view the attachments.)
Note: Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province, Bao'an Science and Technology Innovation Bureau (A district-level government department in Shenzhen responsible for local S&T innovation policies)