Funding mechanism is a crucial institutional guarantee for national research institutes to achieve their goals and fulfill their roles. Against the backdrop of new global challenges, such as geopolitical shifts, these institutions shoulder even greater responsibilities. Therefore, to better leverage their roles, this study addresses two key issues. What funding challenges do national research institutes currently face? And what are the characteristics of a funding mechanism that can meet their needs? To answer these questions, firstly, this study systematically analyzes the prominent problems faced by the funding mechanisms of national research institutes in China. Subsequently, it analyzes the characteristics of a full-process funding mechanism framework suited to the needs of national research institutes across three key stages: funding input, internal allocation, and performance evaluation of funding effectiveness. Based on these analyses, the following policy recommendations are proposed. (1) Establish a funding input mechanism that is aligned with the institutes’ mission orientation by simplifying funding channels and increasing the proportion of stable support. (2) Enhance the autonomy of institutions in fund allocation to fully leverage the advantages of their institutionalized organizational models. (3) Build a long-term incentive mechanism commensurate with researchers’ capabilities and contributions, enabling them to dedicate themselves to research aligned with the institutional missions; (4) Develop a budget performance evaluation system centered on the core logic of “mission orientation → decomposition of strategic goals → performance evaluation” to improve the overall effectiveness of funding.
LI et al. (Sun,) studied this question.