context: Ongoing efforts by the state to cut red tape for scientists get bogged down by rigid bureaucratic and accounting requirements, designed to battle the corruption and conflicts of interest that have also plagued the allocation of (research) funding.
The 2019 government work report mentions pilots with flat-rate contract responsibility for scientific research fund management. 60 research institutes, mostly in basic research, have been selected for these pilots, says Wang Zhigang 王志刚 Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) minister. The pilots seek to find a long-term solution to the conflict between the uncertainty of research and the strict demands of funding management by handing some control down to research institutes. Only institutes with a good track record are eligible for the pilot, says Wang. Although this is deregulation, the state will not relax oversight, emphasises Wang.
Between 2011 and 2015, China invested 5 percent of its research funding into basic research and 85 percent in R&D, whereas the US spent 17 and 64 percent, respectively, according to a US National Research Council report. In China, only the centre invests in basic research, says Wang, whereas state governments and corporations also contribute in the US. A number of domestic high-tech firms have started investing in basic research and MoST will encourage a broader range of entities to commit funding.
In the press conference, Wang also discussed
- sci-tech transfer data for 2017, lauding the impact of Sci-tech Transfer Law of August 2017
- scientific ethics
- job hopping by opportunistic young scientists
Bureaucracy remains the main bottleneck for sci-tech innovation, says Zhou Guohui 周国辉 Zhejiang CCP Political Consultative Conference deputy chair. Zhou recommends reforming
- R&D support
- stop treating researchers as thieves; flat-rate contracts are a step in the right direction
- promote researcher self-discipline by emphasising credibility and ethics
- set up project-internal supervision mechanisms
- tech transfers
- greatly increase the cost of IP infringement penalties