The NSF Funding System for Science and Technology Ethics Projects （2020—2024）：Model Characteristics and Policy Implications

<bold/>In the context of the rapid development of the wave of emerging technologies，science and technology ethics，and its governance issues have become the focus of attention of the international community. This paper systematically sorts out and analyzes the funding of the National Science Foundation （NSF） for science and technology ethics projects. The research results clearly show that the United States attaches great importance to the governance of science and technology ethics，and NSF continues to increase its funding for science and technology ethics research and governance. Since 2022，its funding has exceeded the USD 100 million mark，focusing on the research of ethical issues in emerging technologies represented by artificial intelligence，ethical education and training research，and the exploration of ethical theories and methods. It has established a “theoretical norms - technical governance - talent cultivation” tripartite funding system for science and technology ethics，demonstrating a progressive funding pathway from “technological breakthroughs” to “ethical internalization” and ultimately to “societal co-governance”. Drawing on the NSF’s project experience，in the subsequent planning and deployment of scientific programs in the field of science and technology ethics research and governance，China should establish a four-in-one funding framework of “Strategic Layout - Specialized Support - Cross-border Integration - Ethics education”. This mechanism should prioritize strengthening ethical research on cutting-edge technologies such as generative AI，refine rolling support and dynamic evaluation mechanisms for funded projects，and systematically incorporate ethical norms into the full-process management of scientific research and the talent cultivation system.