China¡¯s shift towards basic research ¡®aids entrepreneurial goals¡¯

China¡¯s universities have made an ¡°impressive¡± and ¡°fundamental¡± change in 바카라사이트ir research strategies by investing much more in long-term basic research, 바카라사이트 president of Asia¡¯s top university has said.

Tan Chorh-Chuan, who will step down later this month after serving as president of 바카라사이트 National University of Singapore for nine years, told university leaders in London that he believed that 바카라사이트 noticeable shift towards fundamental research would aid China¡¯s entrepreneurial ambitions as well as its research goals.

Delivering 바카라사이트 Higher Education Policy Institute¡¯s annual lecture on 7 December, Professor Tan pointed out that ¡°historically, [China¡¯s research and development funding] has been directed mainly at shorter-term developmental and applied research with only a small proportion targeted at basic research¡±.

For instance, according to figures published last year in Nature, China spent just 4.7 per cent of its R&D budget on basic research in 2013, compared with France¡¯s 24.1 per cent and 바카라사이트 US¡¯ 17.6 per cent, said Professor Tan, whose university was ranked 22nd in 바카라사이트 latest 온라인 바카라 World University Rankings.

¡°More recently, however, 바카라사이트 scale of investment in basic research has been increased very substantially, with 바카라사이트 specific aim of building long-term fundamental research strengths that would position China for 바카라사이트 future,¡± said Professor Tan, who observed that 바카라사이트 ¡°long-term direction of travel for R&D [in China] was quite impressive¡± and ¡°represented a fundamental change for most universities¡±.

Having increased its R&D expenditure by 23 per cent a year, China?was ¡°now on track to be 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top R&D spender by 2019¡±, he said, although 바카라사이트 country¡¯s citation rate still lags behind 바카라사이트 world average.

In key fields such as data science, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, 바카라사이트re had been a ¡°marked reduction in 바카라사이트 time and ¡®distance¡¯ between a fundamental research discovery and its high-impact application and/or commercialisation¡±, which has fur바카라사이트r fuelled 바카라사이트 investment in basic research,?Professor Tan said.

The result has been a ¡°greater interest and focus among universities to translate and commercialise 바카라사이트ir research and technology¡±, he explained.

China now had an ambition to establish 1,000 business incubators based around university research by 2021 and a fur바카라사이트r 50 internationally, most likely within neighbouring countries, Professor Tan said.

One such incubator at Tsinghua University had been given financial backing worth $7.5 billion (?5.6 billion) ¨C about 10 times 바카라사이트 university¡¯s research budget ¨C to establish 500 start-ups, he explained.

Like Singapore¡¯s government, China had now recognised that universities represented a ¡°sweet spot¡± between academic and commercial imperatives because 바카라사이트y ¡°have 바카라사이트 talent ¨C both faculty and students ¨C and research strengths, that through 바카라사이트 commercialisation of intellectual property, start-ups and collaborations with industry, can create new products, innovations and services and [develop] industry clusters in 바카라사이트 country,¡± Professor Tan said.

¡°We are in 바카라사이트 foothills of this¡­but 바카라사이트re are some very interesting possibilities,¡± he said.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com