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Turning+Point—Chinese+Science+In+Transition Turning Point Chinese Science in Transition Research undertaken by Charlotte Liu Nick Campbell Chandler Gibbons Ed Gerstner Yingying Zhou Amy Lin Chris Gilloch Piao Li Kun Huang Stephen Pincock Nicky Phillips Turning Point Chinese Science in Transition Turning Point Research undertaken by Chinese Science in Transition Research undertaken by ABOUT SPRINGER NATURE Springer Nature is a leading global research, educational and professional publisher, home to an array of respected and trusted brands providing quality content through a range of innovative products and services. Springer Nature is the world’s largest academic book publisher, publisher of the world’s highest impact journals and a pioneer in the field of open research. The company numbers almost 13,000 staff in over 50 countries and has a turnover of approximately EUR 1.5 billion. Springer Nature was formed in 2015 through the merging of Nature Publishing Group, Palgrave Macmillan, Macmillan Education and Springer Science+Business Media. ABOUT NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP (NPG) Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is a publisher of high impact scientific information in print and online. NPG publishes journals, online databases and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences. Focusing on the needs of scientists, Nature (founded in 1869) is the leading weekly, international scientific journal. NPG publishes a range of Nature research journals and Nature Reviews journals, and a range of prestigious academic and partner journals including society-owned publications. Online, nature.com provides over 8 million visitors per month with access to NPG publications and services, including news and comment from Nature, and the leading scientific jobs board Naturejobs. Scientific American is at the heart of NPG’s consumer media division. Founded in 1845, Scientific American is the oldest continuously published magazine in the US and the leading authoritative publication for science in the general media. SPRINGER NATURE IN CHINA Springer Nature has offices in Shanghai and Beijing, housing over 200 staff members from Nature Publishing Group, Springer, Macmillan Education, Palgrave Macmillan and BioMed Central. They are servicing Chinese academic researchers, students, teachers, institutions, professionals and the wider public, by helping them discover more. www.springernature.com TURNING POINT Executive Summary After several decades of rapid growth, China is now the world’s second largest economy. The challenge it faces in continuing this remarkable development is to find the best path to a sustainable knowledge- based future. China’s research base needs to be at the heart of this transition. Significant and increasing investment has already brought a dramatic increase in the country’s scientific output. However, at this crucial turning point, the research environment in China faces unique challenges. Drawing on extensive quantitative and scientists, some survey respondents said qualitative data gathered from Chinese these were often small and short-term. researchers themselves, we have iden- Funding bodies might consider expand- tified opportunities for the key stake- ing programs that offer larger grants over holders in the research ecosystem to a longer time frame, especially for ear- improve the quality and impact of ly-career researchers, who are often the Chinese science. Our focus is on the most innovative and productive members key stages of funding, conducting, and of the scientific workforce. sharing research. China’s funding system has already made some significant progress towards Funding science a more rigorously meritocratic assess- While China spent 2.1 percent of its ment approach. This successful set-up, GDP on R&D in 2014, in line with other acknowledged by Chinese researchers developed countries such as the US and as an improvement, needs to be imple- UK, it spends only a fraction of that on mented more broadly to promote a basic research. More than 80% of research greater sense of fairness and transpar- group leaders — also known as principal ency. Additionally, researchers would be investigators (PIs) — surveyed said that more efficient and productive if funders the country should devote more funding allowed more flexibility and streamlined to basic research. Given that many compliance procedures for when grant important advances in applied research money is spent. originate with advances in fundamental understanding, boosting basic research Doing science funding would be a prescient long-term The increase in funding in recent decades strategy for fostering innovation. has led to a larger proportion of young Exploratory research requires long- scientists running their own laboratories term commitment. While some funding and research projects. This independ- agencies have dedicated grants for young ence gives them space to innovate, but Nature Publishing Group | Turning Point | I Objective Explore the direction and strategy of the next phase growth of China’s science, based on insights from working scientists in China Researchers at the heart Funding science Doing science Sharing science • Size and growth • Training; Mentoring • Writing paper Scope • Fairness; Eciency • Talent structure • Publishing • High risk/curiosity driven research • Collaboration • Open data • Young scientists • Ethics • Broader science communication to public and policy makers How scientists are assessed and rewarded underpins all of above First-hand research in 2015 covering a broad range of scientists across disciplines and regions in China Approach • Online survey: 1690 completed respondents • In-depth interviews: 32 interviews in four cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Xi’an) The study aimed to shed light on the future directions for Chinese science, based on the first-hand experiences of active researchers. leaves them with insufficient support laboration and a catalyst for unethical from senior colleagues and with fewer behavior. A broader range of assessment opportunities to collaborate. Reducing measures could better encourage scien- the administrative workloads of senior tists to collaborate and reduce pressure to scientists and freeing time for them to cut corners. When unethical behavior is mentor less experienced peers could help identified, funders and institutes should address this issue. Training in areas such aim to set up independent investigations as science writing, data management that penalize those found violating codes and ethics can also play a critical role in of ethics. shaping China’s future research culture. While China has the largest base of Sharing science PhD students and the largest science and Science is an international endeavor technology workforce in the world, there that ultimately relies on maximizing the are two major gaps in its workforce — a free and open exchange of knowledge. lack of lab technicians and post-doctoral Chinese scientists have limited enthu- fellows. Addressing these shortages will siasm for, or awareness of, the global be critical for Chinese science to continue trend towards openly sharing data. competing on a global stage, and will Implementing measures that better probably require a promotion of the encourage researchers to share their data value institutes place on these positions. and research would benefit their partici- Greater compensation for contract-based pation in this global movement. researchers, less emphasis on hiring Writing papers and communicating researchers with overseas experience and research findings are important tasks reforming strict hiring rules are some that many survey respondents identi- clear measures that would help address fied as a challenge. Better training in these shortfalls. scientific writing for researchers would Publication in a high-impact journal address part of this problem, as would remains an important measure of a sci- an industry-wide accreditation system entist’s success in China. While this that can monitor and improve commer- focus has raised the quality of the coun- cial editing services. There is also a clear try’s science output, simple quantitative need for institutes to offer incentives for driven assessment and authorship credit researchers who talk about their work allocation can be a disincentive for col- with the public and industry. ■ II | Turning Point | Nature Publishing Group TURNING POINT Turning Point Chinese Science In Transition Over the past three decades, China has dazzled the scope for this contribution to grow. world with its rapid economic growth and burgeoning There are also deficits in some areas of prosperity. But, with the ageing of its population high-quality output relative to that of western nations, chemistry and physical and slowing economy, China is at a critical point at sciences being much stronger than bio- which it will be necessary to shift from resource- and logical sciences6. Beyond average academic impact, investment-intensive growth towards a higher value- there are also concerns that China added model. The country is already taking steps to lags behind in producing break- transform its focus to a more qualitative outlook to through research with wide-ranging impact. Many worry that the impact foster balanced and sustainable growth, economically, made by Tu Youyou, who was awarded socially and environmentally. During this transition, China’s first Nobel Prize in science this technological innovation has emerged as a driver year for the work that led to a treatment for malaria that has saved countless lives, of economic progress,
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