PANG XINGLEI/XINHUA PRESS / CORBISOpening of the 2014 conference of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, held in Beijing in JunePANG XINGLEI/XINHUA PRESS / CORBIS
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is in the midst of a reform aimed at stimulating collaboration and increasing the impact of its research. The Academy has 102 institutes, 60,000 employees and a budget of $6.8 billion. There are grievances, however, because of lack of competitive salaries and duplication of efforts—it is not unusual for researchers from different institutes to work on similar topics without knowledge of the others’ existence. “This will be the largest reform in our history,” Chunli Bai, president of the CAS, told Nature. Research work will be reorganized under four strategies. The first of these strategies calls for the creation of 20 centers of excellence in basic science. For example, 40 researchers have been chosen from 11 institutes to work on advanced research in neuroscience—one of the goals is to develop a new animal model in studies of neurodegenerative disease. The second strategy will focus on stimulating research projects with commercial potential, such as the development of microsatellites and drugs. The third will coordinate the work of major facilities—a synchrotron light source and a center for the study of proteins, both in Shanghai, will be interconnected. The fourth strategy, still in the early stages, will support regional development. There will also be changes in researchers’ compensation, including an increase in fixed salaries, and reduced dependence on funding from development agencies, which accounts for up to 70% of the payroll.
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