China's funding system and research innovation

Abstract In the past decade, China's total expenditure on research and development (R&D) has been increasing by about 20% per year. And the total output of scientific research from China has not failed to impress: a 2011 study by Britain's Royal Society found that, in 2004–08, the country produced 10% of the world's published scientific articles, putting it second after the United States. But a study conducted by the World Bank and China's State Council concluded in the year 2012 that Chinese research quality falls short. It noted that the country produces relatively few high-impact articles, and that the majority of Chinese patents constitute minor novelties rather than genuine innovations. So what has gone wrong? And what needs to be changed to spur innovation in China significantly? In a forum organized by National Science Review, its executive associate editor Mu-ming Poo asked four leading scientists in China. Yadong Li Chemist of Tsinghua University in Beijing (Courtesy of Yadong Li) Yi Rao Biologist of Peking University in Beijing (Courtesy of Yi Rao) Dingsheng Wang Physicist of Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing (Courtesy of Dingsheng Wang) Pinxian Wang Geologist of Tongji University in Shanghai (Courtesy of Pinxian Wang) Mu-ming Poo (Chair) Neuroscientist of Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai (Courtesy of Mu-ming Poo)