// NATURE NEWS — SPAZIO & SCIENZA
Funders should look beyond strict age criteria
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The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) plans to fund an extra 12,000 projects through its Young Scientists Fund (see Nature 655, 557–558; 2026). Under NSFC rules, male applicants must be under 35 years old and female applicants under 40. This raises a wider question for science funders: should early-career support be tied to birthdate?
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