BIZCHINA> Review & Analysis
Time to turn attention to science & technology
By Rao Yi and Shi Yigong (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-09-03 11:09

The belief is still deeply rooted in the minds of many people that distribution of the funds on scientific research is used as a tool to balance the interests of different groups, but not as one to boost scientific development and technological invention. To change the long-prevailing mindset, relevant authorities should get the point that the money should flow to the groups of people who can really contribute to the country's scientific advancement. Now it is difficult to imagine that our athletic sports could have achieved such prominent progress if the country's funds invested in sports were not used to cultivate excellent sportsmen.

Science and sports, by nature, have a common goal and standard. That is both aim to reach the world's top level under internationally recognized standards. China's sports have held on to exactly this model, thus resulting in its rapid development in recent years.

In science, on the other hand, a different development mode has been adopted and the domestic criteria are used to replace international ones. A particular example is that the appointments to the title of "academicians", a top title both in honor and economic treatment, which is awarded to people not completely in accordance with their contribution to the world's frontier sciences.

Another distinct difference between sports and science is that the level of the former cannot be raised indefinitely, thus leaving space for less developed countries to catch with up advanced ones. But this is not applicable to science. With scientific and technological advancement happening almost on daily basis, a slow progress made by a country also means its regression in this field compared with other ones. A country underdeveloped in science could catch up with developed ones through utmost persistence and long-term accumulation.

In sports people can only make slow improvement when they reach a certain level, and even come to a standstill for a long time, given that even specially trained athletes cannot surpass the physical limits. Science is totally different with the world's science and technology leaping forward every day. People even cannot predict the boundary of scientific and technological progress.


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