China’s State Council released the National Health Plan for the 15th Five-Year Period on July 13, 2026, emphasizing the importance of basic research in health sciences and maintaining a demand-oriented and problem-oriented approach while improving mechanisms for formulating and implementing major S&T tasks. The plan calls for organizing and implementing major national S&T projects in biomedicine, coordinating the deployment of national key R&D programs with a focus on pathogenesis, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical devices, among other key areas. Brain-computer interface and other frontier technologies are explicitly listed as key research directions.
The release of this plan indicates that BCI technology has become an integral part of China’s national health strategy and will receive systematic research investment and policy support. As a cutting-edge technology in neuroengineering and biomedical engineering, BCI holds significant application potential for helping patients with motor disorders and neurological diseases recover function and improve quality of life. China will advance fundamental theoretical research, breakthrough technologies, and clinical translation of BCI through dedicated S&T projects and R&D programs, accelerating the transformation from research results to clinical applications.