China & research

It is reported China has experienced the strongest growth in scientific research over the past three decades & it’s not slowing down. It is only second place to the US now. And if it continues like this, it will be the largest producer of scientific knowledge by 2020.

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.