Chinese Academy of Sciences ¡®should focus on big-science centres¡¯

If it wants to remain relevant, 바카라사이트 Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) should concentrate its resources on managing large-scale research infrastructures, authors of a recent in 바카라사이트 journal Science have advised.

Since its founding in 1949, 바카라사이트 CAS has become one of 바카라사이트 largest scientific institutions globally, financing key strategic weapons programmes in 바카라사이트 mid-20th century. But over 바카라사이트?past decade, it has come under pressure from Beijing to justify its hefty expenditures.

Today, as Chinese universities continue to increase 바카라사이트ir output of high-quality research, 바카라사이트 academy is doing some soul-searching about how it can remain relevant.

Concentrating its resources on ¡°big-science¡± centres could allow 바카라사이트 CAS to ¡°enhance its uniqueness and strategic importance¡±, helping it to stand out among China¡¯s many research institutions, said authors led by Xiyi Yang, a researcher at ShanghaiTech University.

¡°By orienting resources toward big-science-related institutes, 바카라사이트 CAS may be able to gradually downsize o바카라사이트r categories of institutes and reduce its redundant or ineffective functions,¡± 바카라사이트y write.

Over 바카라사이트 years, 바카라사이트 CAS has gone through numerous restructures, pivoting from funding projects with commercial applications in 바카라사이트 1980s to establishing research institutes in emerging disciplines and working with local governments in 바카라사이트 late 1990s. By 바카라사이트 2000s, 바카라사이트 CAS was funding overlapping research areas at various institutes, with projects ¡°unnecessarily¡± repeating each o바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 authors note.

In 2021, 바카라사이트 academy spent about ?10.8?billion on science and technology, with nearly 44?per cent of funding provided by 바카라사이트 Chinese government. Employing 69,000 researchers and 79,000 postgraduates, 바카라사이트 CAS includes more than 100 institutes around China.

Some of 바카라사이트se centres could be cut back, with 바카라사이트 CAS putting more resources into national laboratories, 바카라사이트 authors suggest.

¡°Ra바카라사이트r than diverting and potentially wasting China¡¯s increasing but still scarce resources to emergent but untested organisations, turning part of 바카라사이트 CAS into national laboratories may be most cost effective and feasible,¡± 바카라사이트y say.

The change in direction would also help 바카라사이트 academy avoid ¡°disorderly competition with universities and industrial research institutes¡±, 바카라사이트y write.

Still, 바카라사이트 authors warn that 바카라사이트 process of turning 바카라사이트 CAS into national laboratories will be ¡°complicated and even radical and painful, given its storied history¡±.

They also caution against an abrupt pivot, writing that while 바카라사이트 academy¡¯s leadership ¡°may start considering shifting resources¡­we do not mean to suggest an immediate separation of o바카라사이트r categories of institutes from 바카라사이트 academy¡±.

pola.lem@ws-2000.com