The CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative, PIFI, is a specific funding program to attract talented foreigners to CAS for scientific exchanges and research cooperation.

Basic information
The CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative, PIFI, is a specific funding program to attract talented foreigners to CAS for scientific exchanges and research cooperation. It is open to scientific research personnel from around the globe, of the following three types:

1. Distinguished fellows

We offer 50,000 yuan per week to support distinguished fellows to conduct a lecture tour in at least two CAS branches in 1-2 weeks and to host CAS postdoctoral researcher at CAS expense at his or her lab for 1-3 months.
The following requirements must be met if you would like to apply:
1) Are well-established and internationally recognized.
2) Have obtained the recommendation of a CAS-affiliated institute for application.

2. Visiting fellows

We offer 40,000 yuan for a full professors, 30,000 yuan for an associate professor and 20,000 yuan for an assistant professors per month respectively to support them to carry out cooperative projects at CAS-affiliated institutions for 2-9 months. We also offer round trip flight ticket subsidy.
The following requirements must be met if you would like to apply:
1) Are an assistant professor or above.
2) Have worked in a well-known university or research institution.
3) Have a cooperative research proposal with a CAS host researcher and the intention to come to China.

3. Postdoctoral fellows

We offer 250,000 yuan per year plus round trip flight ticket subsidy to support postdoctoral fellows to conduct research at CAS-affiliated institutions for 1-2 years.
The following requirements must be met if you would like to apply:
1) Hold a PhD in natural or technological sciences.
2) Age < 40.
3) Recommended by a CAS host researcher.
4) Dedicated to the program, with no other assignments.

How to apply:
PIFI does not accept direct applications from foreign scientific research staff.
Foreign applicants must find a CAS scientist as his or her host researcher, who should then log onto the PIFI section of the internal system before the deadline, fill in relevant application forms and submit application materials. PIFI is open to applications once a year from early August to mid September. The appraisal result will be released no later than the end of November. Applicants that passed the appraisal are entitled to visit CAS and conduct research in the coming year.

For more information about this initiative, please go to CAS website for International Talents:
http://international-talent.cas.cn/front/index.html#/bicsite/pifiIntroduce/pifi