During the third group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, President Xi Jinping emphasized that strengthening fundamental research is an urgent requirement for achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology, as well as an essential pathway toward building China into a global leader in scientific innovation. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China further called for strengthening the integrated media communication system, shaping a new landscape of mainstream public opinion, improving the comprehensive governance of cyberspace, and fostering a healthy online environment. In this broader national context, the ability to develop high-quality research proposals has become an essential skill for university scholars, particularly for early-career researchers.
On the morning of March 3, 2023, the School of New Media at Peking University hosted a seminar titled “How to Apply for Research Grants” in Room 515 of the Meng Minwei Building. The seminar was delivered by Professor Xie Xinzhou. Early-career faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and other scholars from the School of New Media and the School of Journalism and Communication—including Xu Jincan, Wang Xiuli, Bai Qiyu, Zhang Huiyu, and Liu Jinhe—participated in the discussion.
Professor Xie Xinzhou has extensive experience in research project development and management. He has served as principal investigator for major projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, major programs of the National Social Science Fund of China, and key research initiatives supported by the Ministry of Education in the humanities and social sciences, in addition to several other national- and ministerial-level projects. He also serves as Vice Chair of the National Steering Committee for Professional Graduate Education in Journalism and Communication. Drawing on this experience, he shared practical insights on the principles and strategies of successful grant applications.
Professor Xie began by emphasizing that early-career university faculty must develop a clear understanding of the relationship among teaching, learning, and research before applying for research funding. Journalism and communication studies, he noted, is an applied discipline. Scholars in this field—especially younger researchers—should remain attentive to the evolving challenges of the times, actively assume social responsibility, and position their research in ways that address real-world issues and contribute meaningful solutions to society.
For university faculty members, fulfilling teaching responsibilities is comparable to the “compulsory routines” in gymnastics—an essential foundation of the profession. Research grant applications, by contrast, resemble the “optional routines,” providing opportunities for scholars to demonstrate their academic creativity and research capability. As such, faculty members should not view teaching and learning in isolation but rather integrate teaching, learning, and research, allowing sustained research activity to support long-term scholarly growth.
Professor Xie then offered a systematic overview of the grant application process from four perspectives: the fundamental characteristics of academic research, the role of research projects in scholarly work, the structure of China’s research funding system, and practical strategies for preparing competitive applications.
He explained that academic research typically exhibits four key characteristics: cumulative development, specialization of research fields, continuity of inquiry, and collaboration. Cumulative development refers to the importance of aligning project proposals with a scholar’s existing research background and body of work, which significantly increases the likelihood of success. For younger faculty members whose publication records may still be developing, he suggested participating in collaborative research projects led by senior scholars or further strengthening their publication portfolios in their primary research areas to build a stronger foundation for future grant applications. Specialization involves cultivating distinctive expertise within a sustained area of scholarly interest. Continuity emphasizes perseverance and intellectual commitment in the face of research challenges. Collaboration highlights the importance of teamwork, encouraging younger scholars to develop cooperative research practices and to enhance their academic capacity through collaboration with experienced colleagues.
Research projects, Professor Xie noted, often embody both intellectual leadership and forward-looking vision. They function not only as incubators for scholarly innovation but also as platforms for training research talent and as important indicators of an institution’s academic influence. In addition, research projects help foster scholarly communities and promote academic exchange. Professor Xie provided a detailed overview of the national research funding system and encouraged early-career scholars to take advantage of the academic environment and institutional support available at Peking University by actively applying for national-level and Ministry of Education research grants. In addition to projects supported by the National Social Science Fund, he also suggested that scholars explore interdisciplinary opportunities—for example, applying for grants from the National Natural Science Foundation from the perspective of management science.
When discussing practical strategies for preparing grant applications, Professor Xie emphasized several general principles: adherence to formal guidelines, compliance with application requirements, clarity of structure, and the inclusion of genuine innovation in addressing research questions. He then offered seven specific recommendations for preparing competitive proposals.
First, research topics should demonstrate intellectual originality and strategic relevance, responding to national priorities and broader socioeconomic developments while reflecting a clear sense of the issues and challenges of the present era. Second, the section on research background and significance should both highlight the importance of the research question and remain closely aligned with the thematic scope defined in the funding guidelines, while also demonstrating the ability to derive analytical questions and theoretical insights from observable phenomena. Third, literature reviews should be rigorous and comprehensive, organized around the core research questions and drawing upon representative and authoritative sources. Fourth, the research design should be clearly articulated—conceptually broad in vision yet logically coherent and methodologically rigorous. Fifth, the structure of the research content should remain focused and balanced, avoiding both overly broad and overly narrow project scopes. Sixth, research methods should be carefully selected and closely aligned with the research objectives, forming a coherent methodological framework for the project. Finally, applicants should clearly present the institutional resources available to support the research, including research facilities, team expertise, and relevant prior achievements.
In his concluding remarks, Professor Xie expressed high expectations for the future development of early-career scholars and encouraged them to continue strengthening their research agendas. The seminar concluded with an engaging discussion among participating faculty members and postdoctoral researchers.
Professor Xu Jincan remarked that the seminar was highly inspiring. He noted that scholars working in areas such as international communication, health communication, and internet governance should closely connect their research projects with China’s social realities and policy environment in order to contribute to the development of theoretical frameworks in communication studies. At the same time, he emphasized the importance of strengthening collaborative research teams alongside the advancement of fundamental research.
Professor Wang Xiuli observed that the development of communication studies as a discipline should be closely aligned with national strategic priorities. Taking health communication as an example, she explained that research in this area ultimately aims to improve public understanding of health, enhance health literacy, and encourage healthier behaviors among the public, thereby contributing to the broader goals of the Healthy China initiative.
Professor Bai Qiyu noted that the seminar provided valuable insights at both the conceptual and practical levels. In her future research planning, she intends to give careful consideration to project design and to more closely integrate her personal academic interests with national development priorities.
Liu Zhitian shared that she had felt uncertain while preparing research grant applications in the previous year. After attending Professor Xie’s seminar, she found the guidance extremely helpful. In future applications, she plans to devote greater attention to strengthening her literature reviews and refining each component of the proposal to achieve continuous improvement.
The seminar concluded successfully with Professor Xie’s insightful presentation and the lively discussion among participants.
