Scrutiny over research funds to yield better results

A PRIVATE COMPANY in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region has reportedly received more than 10 million yuan ($1.5 million) in funds for research over the last decade, yet made little progress in its so-called projects. China Youth Daily on Wednesday urged greater scrutiny of how scientific research funds are used:

It is appalling that some local authorities have turned a blind eye to the wasting of scientific research funds, much of which has gone directly into the pockets of "project directors". Thanks to the glamorous projects they led, many researchers have even been promoted without making any research contributions.

China's financial support to scientific research has been on a steady rise in recent years, as over 1 trillion yuan has been spent on research and experimental development in 2014 alone. However, the distribution of governmental funds has been rather porous, allowing greedy officials and rent-seeking companies to easily grab much of the money in the power-money exchanges.