Objective: To review the application for funding of ophthalmologic projects from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the current research progress, and to provide reference for the promotion of basic eye research in China. Methods: The NSFC application and funding information of ophthalmology-related projects from 2010 to 2021 were collected as a database for further analysis. The main categories of the analysis included the number of application and funding, the funding ratio, the research directions and the funded organizations. Results: During the 12 years, 13 267 applications were received in the field of ophthalmology, with an increase of 157.21% (1 025/652) in 2021 compared with 2010, and the number of applications for the Youth Foundation grew significantly. There were 2 221 funded projects, with an increase of 81.51% (97/119) in 2021 compared with 2010. After 2017, the number of funded projects was basically around 200 per year, with a funding rate of 16.74%(2 221/13 267). The funding amount was 1 026.9 million yuan in total, with an average of 462 400 yuan. Sun Yat-sen University (1 060 applied and 265 funded projects), Fudan University (759 applied and 186 funded projects), Shanghai Jiaotong University (820 applied and 178 funded projects), Wenzhou Medical University (625 applied and 113 funded projects) and Capital Medical University (538 applied and 95 funded projects) were the top five institutions in terms of the number of application and funding. Conclusions: From 2010 to 2021, the application number of ophthalmology projects increased rapidly, while the number of funded projects increased slowly, and the funding ratio decreased year by year. With the support of NSFC, the basic research of ophthalmology in China has made great progress. However, we still need to find and solve problems to promote the sustainable advance of ophthalmology. (This article was published ahead of print on the official website of Chinese Journal of Ophthalmology on January 21, 2022).
目的： 探讨国家自然科学基金眼科学领域各类项目申请和资助的特点及现状，为推动我国眼科学基础研究发展提供参考。 方法： 收集2010至2021年国家自然科学基金眼科学领域各类项目数据资料，汇总后建立数据库进行综合分析，主要分析内容包括项目申请数量、项目资助数量、资助金额、资助强度、资助率及依托单位情况等。 结果： 2010至2021年国家自然科学基金眼科学领域各类项目共接收申请13 267项，2021年（1 677项）较2010年（652项）增长157.21%；青年科学基金项目申请数量增长尤为明显。资助项目2 221项，2021年（216项）较2010年（119项）增长81.51%；2017年后资助数量基本稳定在每年约200项；资助率为16.74%（2 221/13 267）；资助金额102 690万元，平均资助强度46.24万元。中山大学（1 060和265项）、复旦大学（759和186项）、上海交通大学（820和178项）、温州医科大学（625和113项）和首都医科大学（538和95项）为项目申请和获资助数量位居前5的依托单位。 结论： 2010至2021年，国家自然科学基金眼科学领域整体情况为项目申请数量迅速增加，资助数量缓慢增加，出现资助率逐年降低趋势。我国眼科学基础研究在国家自然科学基金的资助下，取得了长足进步，但应进一步发现问题、解决问题，推动学科持续发展。（本文于2022年1月21日优先出版在中华眼科杂志官网）.