Key Points for Submitting Central Budget Investment Applications in 2026

As a key lever for the nation to stabilize growth, adjust its economic structure, and improve people's livelihoods, the policy direction and funding allocation of central government investment within the budget have become the focus of attention from all parties.
In 2026, which sectors are expected to receive central funding support? What are the support criteria? And where should applications focus their efforts?
According to the newly released “Guidelines for Planning Investment Projects within the Central Budget” ( (2025 Edition), the National Development and Reform Commission has clearly identified 23 core special projects that will receive key support in 2026. These special projects cover: Transportation infrastructure, urban and rural development, agriculture and rural areas, ecological and environmental protection, social undertakings The total scale of funding across the five major sectors is expected to continue. At the high-level stage in 2025, the focus will be on national strategic priorities such as modern infrastructure development, rural revitalization, green and low-carbon transformation, and basic livelihood security.
This article systematically organizes... The policy basis, scope of support, funding proportions, application requirements, and trend developments for 23 specialized programs—help you accurately grasp the pulse of these policies, seize the initiative in project applications, and turn “policy dividends” into tangible development results.

I. Overall Trends: Optimizing Investment Allocation, Increasing Proportion, and Strengthening Regulation

From Looking at the implementation status in 2025, central budget investment in 2026 will continue the three main guiding principles:

1. Optimize investment areas: Focus In the public domain where “the market cannot function effectively,” we will focus on supporting key tasks such as addressing shortcomings, adjusting the economic structure, and improving people’s livelihoods.

2. Increase the support ratio: Further increase the central government’s funding share for local projects, thereby alleviating fiscal pressure on local governments and ensuring... For the key projects of the 14th Five-Year Plan, we’ll complete one as we start each one.

3. Strengthen full-process supervision: Establish and improve a project lifecycle management mechanism, strengthen supervision during and after the event, and promote early disbursement of funds, early project commencement, and early generation of physical work volume.

II. 23 Core Special Projects

Category 1: Transportation Infrastructure (3 items)

Transportation is the engine of economic development. “Pioneer.” In 2026, we will focus on supporting the construction of backbone networks in areas such as railways, waterways, and meteorology.

Category 2: Urban and Rural Construction & Livelihood Security (5 items)

Focus on the masses Addressing the pain points in “housing, transportation, food, and safety” to comprehensively enhance urban resilience and residents’ sense of well-being.

Category 3: Agriculture and Rural Development (4 items)

Focusing closely on food security and rural revitalization, we will promote higher-quality and more efficient agriculture and make rural areas more livable and attractive for both living and working.

Category 4: Eco-environmental (4 items)

Anchoring The “dual carbon” goals promote green transformation and ecological restoration.

Category 5: Social Services (7 items)

Address the shortcomings in public services to make development more people-centered.

III. Application Recommendations: Plan Precisely and File in Compliance

Facing For the 2026 central budget investment, all localities and units should focus on the following key points:

1. Plan the project in advance: Comparison 23 specific areas of support—identify eligible projects in your region and start preliminary work as soon as possible.

2. Strict matching policy: Ensure that the project meets the stringent requirements—such as reservoir capacity, inspection reports, and labor compensation ratios—regarding specialized planning, scale, and technology.

3. Perfect the application materials: For certain special projects, you must provide documents such as proof of inclusion in the planning, a feasibility study report, and a preliminary land-use review. Be sure to prepare all required documents completely.

4. Emphasize performance management: Strengthen supervision throughout the entire project lifecycle to ensure fund security, project implementation, and tangible benefits.

Conclusion language

In 2026, central budgetary investment will continue to play a pivotal role—leveraging limited resources to achieve significant results—and will focus on supporting areas of strategic national importance as well as those urgently needed for people’s livelihoods. Only by thoroughly understanding the policies, precisely aligning with their requirements, and implementing them in a standardized manner can we truly transform “policy dividends” into tangible development outcomes.

It is recommended that local governments, platform companies, and project entities take immediate action, focusing on... Twenty-three specialized, in-depth studies and scientific planning efforts are underway to secure more projects for inclusion in the national agenda, injecting strong momentum into the region’s high-quality development!