Hainan Institute of National Park (HINP), in an effort to fulfill its missions of conserving Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park and building ecological civilization in Hainan Free Trade Port, is now inviting research project proposals and applications for principal project investigators for 2020-2021 worldwide, as announced hereafter.

1. Research areas and concentrations

In accordance with The Master Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, ThePilot Plan for Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park System and The Master Plan for Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park (Provisional), HINP plans to carry out research projects on the best practicesfor the ecological philosophy “lucid water and lush mountains are invaluable assets” in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park and the institutional reform in the process of the national park development during 2020 - 2021. The research areas and concentrations include, but are not limited to the following.

1.1 Social sciences

(1) Ecosystem services and regional sustainable development of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park.This set of research projects aim at the ecosystem services of Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park and regional sustainable development;science-based approaches for ecosystems conservation and utilization of ecological resources, and approaches for developing ecological industriesof the tropical rainforests, the systematization and upgrading of the well-established ecological industrial models, and valuation of ecological protection and efficacy.

(2) Building of institutional mechanisms and governance capacityof Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. This set of research projects center on the institutional mechanism and systems in the process of national park development; special ecological compensations and phaseout mechanisms, e.g. ecological relocation, and phaseout of economic/cash forest; the franchising systems for green industriesfor the tropical rainforest national park; coordinated development and co-management mechanism between national parks and local communities; and the establishment of reserve easement system for collectively-owned land in and around national parks.

(3)Other related research projects. The category of projects intends to explore the issues related to the reform and property rights of state-owned agricultural and forest farms that are compatible with the requirements for ecological protection, and issues incommunity traditional cultures.

1.2 Natural sciences

(1) The structure, functions and biodiversity of Hainan tropical rainforest, evaluation and enhancement of ecosystem services, conservation and ecological restoration technology and scheme, and integrative management of mountains, waters, forests, fields, lakes and grassland in national parks.

(2) Conservation of Hainan gibbons and their habitats;

(3) Inventory, monitoring and conservation of rare and endangered species, endemic species and other biodiversity components in Hainan;

(4) Other related research topics.

1.3 Continuation of in-depth research of the First Phase Projects

2. Relevant Information for Project Invitation

2.1 Selection of Project Proposals

Project titles and proposals are invited globally, and the writers of excellent project proposalsshall be directly selected as the principal investigators after review by an expert panel; those who have accomplished contracted projects with excellence in 2020 will have priority to apply for projects for this Phase.

2.2 Employment and management of project personnel

HINP employs the principal investigators and projectteam members as its part-time staff as established in the flexible talent introduction and management mechanism who shall work in the name of HINP, and HINP will assist in clearing the personnel management formalities for talent introduction and management.

2.3 Disposal of the intellectual property rights

The intellectual property rightsgenerated from project research and implementation shall be ownedexclusively by HINP, whereas the principal investigatorsand/or project members may reserve the authorship rights.

2.4 Nature of project deliverables and finding

The deliverables and findings of the research projects shall primarily befor applied research and countermeasures.

3. Project Funding and Deliverables

3.1 Social sciences

Project fundingshall be determined after review by experts of the HINP Project Executive Committeein accordance with the final research objectives/deliverablesstated.

(1) The funding for a general project shall beCNY100,000-300,000, and the project durationnot more than one (1) year.

The deliverables of a general project include a project report with at least 30,000 words (Chinese characters, the same hereinafter), a summary of about 5,000 words, and a Think Tank report. If the deliverables have been adopted by relevant department-level agencies or have produced the same effect, the project funding is CNY100,000; if the deliverables have produced greater influence province wide in Hainan, the project fundingshall be not more thanCNY150,000; if the deliverables have produced significant influence in Hainan Province, the project funding shall be not more than CNY200,000; and if the deliverables have produced nationwide influence or two of the deliverables have produced significant influence in Hainan Province, the project funding shall be not more than CNY300,000.

(2) The funding for a key project shall beCNY200,000-500,000, and the project duration shall be not more than two (2) years.

The deliverables of a key project include a survey report with at least 100,000 words, a summary with about 5,000 words, and at least two Think Tank reports. If one of the deliverables has produced significant influence in Hainan Province, the project fund is CNY200,000; if one of the deliverables has produced influence nationwide or two of the deliverables have produced significant influence in Hainan Province, the project fund is CNY300,000; if one of the deliverables has produced greater influence nationwide or two of the deliverables have produced influence nationwide, the project funding shall not be more than CNY500,000.

(3) The funding for a major project is CNY500,000-800,000, and the project duration shallnot more than (3) years.

The deliverables of a major project includes a monograph with at least 100,000 words with HINP as the first authorship institution, a summary of about 5,000 words, and at least three Think Tank reports. If any one of the deliverables has produced greater influence nationwide or two of the deliverables have produced influence nationwide or three of the deliverables have produced significant influence in Hainan Province, the project fund is CNY500,000; if one of the deliverables has produced greater influence nationwide and another of the deliverables has produced influence nationwide, the project fund is CNY600,000-700,000; if the deliverables have produced significant influence nationwide, the project funding shall not be more thanCNY700,000-800,000.

The influence of the deliverables will be assessed by experts organized by HINP. Winners of outstanding achievements can obtain follow-up funding or preferential qualification for the next batch of projects.

3.2 Natural sciences

The projects aim to address the issues and problems specific to tropical rainforest protection and restoration, and conservation of endangered species, and putting forward the key technologies and schemes for protection, restoration and population restoration. The forms of research deliverables include, but may not be limited to, research reports, patents and countermeasures for specific problems. For basic research projects which have important guidance and breakthrough significance for addressing important problems, the research/journal papers are not regarded as the main assessment indicators and evaluation criteria.

The submitted deliverables will be reviewed by experts from the HINP Project Executive Committee, and the project ranking and funding will be determined based on the guidance and reference significance, pragmatic contribution and innovation of the submitted deliverables for specific problems.

The funding for a general project is CNY200,000-300,000;

The funding for a key project is CNY 600,000-800,000;

The funding for a major project is CNY 1,500,000-2,000,000.

Upon expert appraisal, the project funding may exceed the above maximum if it is assessed to be of vital importance and imperative in nature.

4. Application Requirements

4.1 The principal investigator should be a famous expert and scholar in his/her field, with a doctor's degree or senior title or strong influence in related fields, or can prove that he/she has enough ability to complete the project.

4.2 The principal investigator and members have good personal qualities, professionalism, overall awareness, innovative awareness, team spirit, rigorous scholarship and decent style of study.

4.3 The principal investigator and members should be able to ensure that they have sufficient time and energy contribution to the research project.

4.4 Those principal project investigators who have contracted other projects of HINP and have participated in projects whose implementation may not be completed before the end of December 2020 may not apply for the current project.

5. Supplementary instructions

5.1 HINP is actively striving to carry out joint special projects with the Association of Social Sciences and the Department of Science and Technology of Hainan Province, and sets the current project as a provincial-level special project.

5.2 The final implementation plan for the current project shall be subject to the plan submitted to and adopted by the Council.

5.3 The contents of this announcement may be revised as appropriate during the invitation stage. Please check the official website and the official WeChat account of HINP, and HINP reserves the rights for the interpretation of this invitation.

Please fill in the application form of principal investigator (Annex 1) and the application form for research project (Annex 2) in compliance with the above requirements, and send to keyan@hinp.org.cn no later than November 10, 2020.

Contact:  Mr. Liu

Tel.: +86 (898) -66513021,+86 13617537665

Address: 1905, Fortune Center,
#38 Datong Road, Longhua District, Haikou City
Hainan Province, China

Postal code:  570100

Annex 1.docx

Annex 2.doc