Part I: Introduction
The Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO) is a non-profit, non-governmental international organization founded in 2018. Founding members include the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and 36 other scientific institutions, universities, and international organizations worldwide. ANSO aims to improve regional and global capacity in science and technology, human livelihoods and wellbeing, and to promote broader S&T cooperation and communication.
CAS-ANSO Scholarship (previously known as ANSO Scholarship for Young Talents) was formally launched in 2019 with the goal of training and cultivating young scientists from all over the world. CAS-ANSO Scholarship has two categories: degree program and non-degree program. The degree program supports 100 to 200 Master's students and 300 PhD students every year to pursue postgraduate education at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) and institutes of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) around China.
A sub-category of the CAS-ANSO Scholarship (Degree Program) – the ANSO-CAS-TWAS/UNESCO PhD Scholarship – was officially launched in 2022. Each year, TWAS/UNESCO will select up to 40 PhD students from developing countries for this scholarship category, with 10 scholarships prioritized for recipients engaged in climate-related research. Aligning with TWAS/UNESCO's priority areas, special (non-exclusive) consideration will be extended to two target groups: Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and women.
CAS, the leading founding member of ANSO, is the major sponsor of CAS-ANSO Scholarship. TWAS and UNESCO, both founding members of ANSO, provide partial funding for ANSO-CAS-TWAS/UNESCO PhD Scholarship awardees. ANSO welcomes all members and parties who are interested in creating a more diversified scholarship program together.
Part II: Coverage
Item | PhD program | Master's program |
1 | Tuition waiver | Tuition waiver |
2 | Monthly stipend: 6,000 or 7,000 CNY/month (depending on whether the awardee has passed the qualification test arranged by the University), up to 48 months | Monthly stipend: 3,000 CNY/month, up to 36 months |
3 | Health insurance | Health insurance |
4 | Application fee waiver | Application fee waiver |
5 | International travel allowance/reimbursement from awardee's home country to China (one trip per awarded candidate) | International travel allowance/reimbursement from awardee's home country to China (one trip per awarded candidate) |
6 | One-time visa/residence permit allowance | One-time visa/residence permit allowance |
[NOTE]
1. For ANSO-CAS-TWAS/UNESCO PhD Scholarship awardees, the above item 1 to item 4 will be sponsored by CAS; item 5 and item 6, if eligible, will be sponsored by TWAS/UNESCO based on its financial arrangement.
2. For other CAS-ANSO Scholarship awardees, items 1-6 will all be covered by CAS.
3. The allowance/reimbursement standards and procedure for item 5 and item 6 should comply with the rules of the sponsor.
4. Any scholarship awardee on site in China, the host country, at the time of application will NOT be eligible for any travel subsidy.
All awardees are required to finish centralized training in Chinese language, Chinese culture and all required credits as well as practical research and completion of degree thesis at colleges and schools of USTC/UCAS or CAS institutes.
Any awardee who fails annual assessments will face the consequences including:
• Termination of his/her scholarship;
• Discontinuity of his/her study;
• Being provided with a certificate of attendance for the period of study undertaken in China but not a formal degree.
All the awardees are required to abide by Chinese laws and USTC/UCAS regulations and rules.
Part III: Eligibility
• Eligible applicants should NOT hold Chinese citizenship;
• Eligible applicants should be proficient in English or Chinese;
• For Master's program applicants: you should be born after 1st January 1996 (inclusive);
For PhD program applicants: you should be born after 1st January 1991 (inclusive);
• Eligible applicants should meet the admission criteria for international students of USTC/UCAS;
• Eligible applicants should NOT take up other assignments during the period of his/her scholarship.
If you are currently pursuing a master's degree at any university/institution in China, you are NOT eligible for the master's program of this scholarship. If you are currently pursuing a doctoral degree at any university/institution in China, you are NOT eligible for the PhD program of this scholarship. Otherwise, you will be disqualified from admission and the situation will be reported to your current university/institution.
[NOTE]
• You are NOT allowed to apply for the CAS-ANSO Scholarship in both USTC and UCAS simultaneously, otherwise you will be disqualified from admission.
Part IV: Application Procedure
The 2026 CAS-ANSO Scholarship is open for application on 15th October 2025 (The exact dates might be slightly different for USTC and UCAS, please check their websites for details).
Deadline for Applicants and Referees: 31st January 2026 (Beijing Time)
1. Application Materials
• For USTC applicants, please refer to Application Guideline for Graduate Applicants to USTC (here)
• For UCAS applicants, please refer to the Call for 2026 Doctoral Programs for International Students and the Call for 2026 Master's Programs for International Students (here)
2. Application Portal
File and submit your application in the USTC/UCAS admission system as requested before the deadline.
When applying:
• Firstly, choose "the CAS-ANSO Scholarship" in your application.
• Secondly, if you want to be considered a potential candidate for the ANSO-CAS-TWAS/UNESCO PhD Scholarship, check the box as instructed in the application system.
To USTC admission system portal: here
To UCAS admission system portal: here
Part V: Contact
Application Management:
1) USTC
Ms. Xiaoyan PENG (Penny Peng)
CAS-ANSO Scholarship USTC Office
University of Science and Technology of China
96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230026 China
Tel: +86 551 63603343
Fax: +86 551 63603531
Email: isa@ustc.edu.cn
Ms. Wenjia WANG (Doris Wang)
CAS-ANSO Scholarship USTC Office
University of Science and Technology of China
96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230026 China
Tel: +86 551 63600220
Fax: +86 551 63603531
Email: isa@ustc.edu.cn
2) UCAS
Ms. Yuchen XIE (PhD Program) CAS-ANSO Scholarship UCAS Office University of Chinese Academy of Sciences 80 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, China Tel: +86 10 82674900 Fax: +86 10 82672900 Email: phd@ucas.ac.cn Ms. Lisha ZHOU (Master’s Program) CAS-ANSO Scholarship UCAS Office University of Chinese Academy of Sciences 80 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, China Tel: +86 10 82674900 Fax: +86 10 82672900 Email: master@ucas.ac.cn |
Scholarship Management:
3) ANSO and CAS | 4) TWAS/UNESCO |
Ms. Zhongxiu WANG ANSO Secretariat No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, P.R. China Tel : +86 10 8409 0801 Email : scholarship@anso.org.cn | Ms. Cristina Ballaben SIMOES PhD and postdoctoral fellowships ICTP Enrico Fermi Building, Room T6 Phone: +39 040 2240 314 E-mail: fellowships@twas.org |
Part VI: Information of Relevant Parties
ANSO is a non-profit, non-governmental international scientific organization founded in 2018, committed to advancing shared sustainable development of the Belt and Road Regions and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by catalyzing and implementing concrete international cooperation initiatives in Science, Technology, Innovation, and Capacity Building (STIC). It focuses on addressing the most urgent regional and global challenges through STIC—including supporting scientific capacity building and meeting the needs of the Global South in particular. ANSO also promotes collaboration across the global science and technology community through research programs, visiting fellowship programs and conference/training programs. CAS-ANSO Scholarship serves as one of its main approaches to grooming and empowering young scientists around the globe.
More about ANSO: http://www.anso.org.cn
CAS: The Chinese Academy of Sciences is the linchpin of China's drive to explore and harness high technology and the natural sciences for the benefit of China and the world. Comprising a comprehensive research and development network, a merit-based academic society and a system of higher education, CAS brings together scientists and engineers from China and around the world to address both theoretical and applied problems using world-class scientific and management approaches.CAS is the leading founding member of ANSO.
More about CAS: http://english.cas.cn/
UNESCO-TWAS: The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (UNESCO-TWAS) works to advance sustainable prosperity in the global South by supporting and promoting scientific excellence in various fashions: funding research projects, providing education and training, fostering science policy, and contributing to increasing the relevance of science diplomacy. The Academy was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the developing world under the leadership of Pakistani physicist and Nobel Prize winner Abdus Salam, and is based in Trieste, Italy. Today, TWAS counts 1,296 elected Fellows—some of the world's most accomplished scientists—representing more than 100 countries; 11 of them are Nobel laureates. TWAS receives core funding from the Government of Italy, and essential programmatic funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) administers TWAS funds and personnel. Both TWAS and UNESCO are founding members of ANSO.
More about UNESCO-TWAS: https://twas.org/
USTC is the first university established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1958 and took the lead in launching China's first Graduate School in 1978. As a comprehensive university, USTC is renowned for its advanced science and technology disciplines, new medicine and well-tailored programs in management and humanities. Regarded as "the Cradle of Scientific Elites," USTC is a vital center for innovation in China, equipped with advanced laboratories and large-scale scientific facilities. USTC provides both undergraduate and postgraduate programs across its 34 schools. It also houses Suzhou Institute, Shanghai Institute, Beijing Institute, Institute of Advanced Technology, and the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC. According to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026, USTC is ranked 51st globally. In the Nature Index 2025, it ranks 2nd globally among the leading research institutions. USTC boasts five disciplines in the top 1‰ of the ESI International Ranking 2025 (Physics, Material Science, Chemistry, Engineering, and Computer Science) and 17 disciplines in the world's top 50 of the ARWU Subject Rankings 2025, including Nano Science & Technology, Energy Science & Technology, and more. USTC is responsible for the enrollment and management of the master's and doctoral candidates of the CAS-ANSO Scholarship Program admitted by USTC.
Read more about USTC: http://en.ustc.edu.cn/
UCAS is an innovative university that integrates scientific research and education, focuses mainly on graduate education, and features outstanding undergraduate education. Its predecessor was the Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences established in 1978. Being the largest graduate education institution in China, UCAS has about 70,000 ongoing students including near 2,000 international students from about 100 countries. With strong support from CAS institutes all over China, UCAS espouses the philosophy of "The Fusion of Scientific Research and Teaching" as its basic system of education. UCAS is authorized to confer all masters' and doctorate degrees in the scientific disciplines, as well as 90% of all degrees in the engineering disciplines. According to the Global University Ranking by Essential Science Indicator (ESI) in September 2025, UCAS ranked No. 1 in China and No. 10 worldwide. UCAS ranked 5th globally among the leading research institutions in the list released in August 2025 by Nature Index. According to the U.S. News 2025-2026 Best Global Universities Rankings, UCAS is ranked 54th globally. UCAS is a member of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and has established close ties with over 80 world-renowned universities. Based on CAS overseas institutions, UCAS is building overseas joint centers for education and research to improve the capacity for technology innovation of B&R countries. UCAS is responsible for the enrollment and management of the master's and doctoral candidates of the CAS-ANSO Scholarship Program admitted by UCAS.
Read more about UCAS: http://english.ucas.ac.cn/
An Open Letter to the Applicants of the 2025 CAS-ANSO Scholarship
