Experts in the field said China is out on its own, far ahead
of the pack. Although its quality remains mixed, Chinese research has also
become more collaborative, with almost 9 per cent of papers originating in
China having at least one US-based co-author.
The Thomson Reuters figures show not only the
“awe-inspiring” expansion of Chinese science but also a very powerful
performance by Brazil, much slower growth in India and relative decline in
Russia.
Three main factors
are driving Chinese research.
First is the government’s enormous investment,
with funding increases far above the rate of inflation, at all levels of the
system from schools to postgraduate research.
Second is the
organised flow of knowledge from basic science to commercial applications.
Third is the efficient and flexible way in which China is tapping the expertise
of its extensive scientific diaspora in north America and Europe, tempting back
mid-career scientists with deals that allow them to spend part of the year
working in the west and part in China.
