Fund - ing Situation by NSFC for Research Projects on Acupunc - ture and Moxibustion Science during the 12 th Five - Year Plan

The 12th Five-Year Plan outline (2011-2015) of the National Economy and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China is referred as 12th Five-Year Plan. This paper analyzed and summarized the approved funded projects on approval of acupuncture and moxibustion science by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (NSFC) including the total number of the funding projects, the distribution of the total funding capital, funding categories and the main research content of acupuncture and moxibustion science during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015). During the “12th FiveYear Plan”, NSFC funded 499 study projects of acupuncture and moxibustion. The research categories involved meridian collaterals, acupoint theory, acupuncture techniques, acupuncture effects and mechanisms of acupuncture therapy. Of which, studies on mechanism of acupuncture therapy and acupoints were the hot spots during this period, with the most projects funded. Studies on mechanism of acupuncture therapy still focused on the cerebral protective mechanism after cerebral ischemia. Research projects on acupoints mainly involved acupoints and viscera related studies, studies on acupuncture points and the state of human body, studies on acupuncture effects and techniques, studies on compatibility of acupuncture points, studies on acupuncture points of ears and studies on acupuncture pattern, which focus on and address the relationship between structural characteristics and functional properties to reveal the material basis and mechanism of acupuncture effects. Compared with the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), the NSFC markedly enhanced the support to the acupuncture and moxibustion studies, especially for young scholars. During both Five-Year Plans, studies on acupuncture analgesia and acupuncture therapy of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases were still the emphasis of the fundamental acupuncture and moxibustion research supported by the NSFC, while studies on the mechanism of acupoint sensitization and moxibustion therapy had become the hot points of this research area. From the results of analysis, lack of fundamental studies on clinical use, scattered research contents, limited research ideas and lagging research methods were still the problems that restricted the study of acupuncture.