Abstract: International research collaboration is a product of scientific complexity and professionalization of researcher, and an important choice for improving scientific progress and development. Analysis of the funding characteristics of the international collaboration research projects supported by the Chinese government and the status of China's international research collaboration from project level is of great significance to the formulation and optimization of international research collaboration policies and management regulations by science and technology policy makers and scientific research managers. According to the 1053 “Projects Supported by Major International (Regional) Joint Research Program” funded by NSFC in 2001-2018, through the methods of mathematical statistics, geospatial analysis and social network analysis, this paper analyzed the funding time, regional, disciplinary distribution characteristics, the characteristics of national and institutional collaboration networks of “Project supported by Major International (Regional) Joint Research program” at two levels: the project funding and collaboration network. The analysis found that: the scale of funding for “Project supported by Major International (Regional) Joint Research program” was generally rising rapidly and then developing steadily in 2001-2018. From the perspective of the subsidized regions, 28 regions in China were funded in 2001-2018, and the eastern region was the focus of funding. Beijing, Shanghai and Jiangsu were the main areas for funding, and the trend of funding focus was from east to west and from north to south. But the overall transfer is not large, and the western and northeastern regions of China are still the weak areas. From the perspective of funding disciplines, there are differences in the initial years of funding for different subject areas. The distribution of subject areas funded after 2007 has gradually stabilized. Among them, medical science is a key disciplinary field funded, and the number of grants is on the rise and is higher than other fields obviously. In addition, the proportion of funding in various subject areas other than medical science has stabilized after 2011. From the perspective of collaboration countries, China has carried out project collaboration with 38 countries (regions) but concentrated in a few countries. The United States, Britain and Germany are key cooperative countries and the collaboration between United States and China is most prominent. In 2001-2018, the number of collaboration countries (regions) has been increasing. In particular, the intensity of collaboration between China and the United States is deepening, but the overall concentration is concentrated in the European region. From the perspective of collaboration agencies, the funding scope of institutions is becoming wider and wider and the collaboration with foreign countries is getting closer and closer. The connectivity of the collaboration network is continuously improved and the information exchange between organizations is becoming more and more smooth. Domestic Tsinghua University, Peking University, Shanghai Jiao tong University, Zhejiang University, Fudan University and foreign California University, University of Texas are the institutions that develop projects collaboration more frequently. It is recommended that China should further optimize the funding focus, adjust the proportion of funding for projects, and increase the breadth and depth at the level of international collaboration research projects.