Chinese Academics Ask For Reforms To Scientific Research

Chinese academics have asked for reforms to the distribution of scientific research funds in China.

AsianScientist (Jan. 14, 2013) – Chinese academics have asked for reforms to the distribution of scientific research funds in China, according to a new China Daily report.

Government and university officials typically decide how scientific grants are proportioned, but there are no rules as to the exact income proportion that a researcher may receive from a research project, said Li Chang’an, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

“In China, there’s no rule at all for the proportion of a researcher’s income that can be derived from scientific research projects. Surely misuse prevails since everyone wants to get more money from a research project,” Li told China Daily.

This is unlike the United States and Japan, where rules stipulate an income ceiling for researchers awarded a scientific grant, he said.

In 2011, China spent 68.89 billion yuan (approximately US$10.9 billion) on academic research, up 15.3 percent year-on-year, according to a joint report published in October by the National Bureau of Statistics, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Finance.

As China ramps up its spending on scientific research, the Ministry of Education issued documents in December stating how universities could improve their supervision of scientific research funds.

Universities are also being asked to disclose any financial conflicts of interest relating to their research, said the Ministry.

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