Early this month, the Communist Party and the State Council’s Central Committee issued recommendations to permit scientists and researchers to have more control over the allocation of research grants for R&D funding. From 2010 to 2014, China’s total expenditure on R&D grew from CNY 706.3 billion to CNY 1.3 trillion ($211 billion), making up a little over 2% of the GDP for that year. In the past, R&D funding assessments were made by bureaucrats at federally-run research institutions; criticisms frequently arose regarding their lack of scientific and technology knowledge, and a preference for networking skills over scientific expertise. According to the government’s new recommendations, to prevent the misappropriation of research funds, a larger portion of the grants is to be used for rewarding researchers for their performance. Scientists and researchers who lead R&D initiatives will now also have greater authority over equipment purchases, business trips, conferences, staffing and international collaborative projects. Furthermore, the recommendations indicate that research assistants are to be paid, at a minimum, the average wage for researchers in the city they work in. Research institutions are obligated to create their own policies that are in accordance with the federal recommendations by the end of the month.

Source: Caixin Online