Investing in science

Funding for research in science and technology has been growing at a robust rate of more than 20 percent annually over the past few years. Meanwhile, China has seen more frequent and convenient international academic collaboration and exchanges.

However, two Chinese scientists recently exposed a host of problems in the country's management of research funding in the magazine Science. In their expose, they lamented that these problems pose as stumbling blocks for the country's progress in scientific and technological innovation and advancement.

A series of media reports have supported their claims, revealing that rather than financing research projects that serve the strategic interests of the country and its ambitions in science and technology, the current pattern of fund allocation does the very opposite.