Huang Yongping, a distinguished professor at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and deputy to the 14th National People's Congress. [Photo/Tide News]

Last year, Huang Yongping, a distinguished professor at the School of Environmental Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was elected as a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress.

Over the past year, he has visited areas such as Pudong and Chongming in Shanghai to participate in research on the implementation of national wetland protection laws.

"As an environmental researcher, this year, I plan to continue making suggestions on basic research and the industrialization of scientific achievements. I hope to better leverage the guiding role of the state and promote a higher level of self-reliance and self-improvement in science and technology," said Huang.

In 2023, Huang submitted a total of five proposals related to scientific and technological innovation, among which the one he valued most was the "Proposal on Optimizing the Funding System for Basic Research."

The proposal is now being implemented. In November 2023, the National Natural Science Foundation of China issued a new policy: Starting from 2024, it will conduct tiered evaluations on National Distinguished Young Scholars projects whose funding period ended in the previous year, and provide nearly 30 million yuan ($4.17 million) in support over the next 15 years to several exceptional projects.