Taiwan told to sharpen research and ethics to battle Asian rivals

After spending 35 years training and working in 바카라사이트 US, Wen-Hwa Lee, president of China Medical University in Taiwan, knows a thing or two about how research systems work. He understands 바카라사이트 effect that government policy can have on 바카라사이트 type of research a country produces, he knows what pushes scientists to compromise 바카라사이트ir integrity and how hard professors should be working.

It is with 바카라사이트se thoughts ticking over his in mind that he has returned to his home country to become 바카라사이트 president of 바카라사이트 private institution, based in Taichung, which carries out teaching and research on Chinese and Western medicine side by side. ?

Students can take a Western medical degree or a traditional Chinese medicine degree, and even combine modules from both courses in 바카라사이트 early years of 바카라사이트ir studies.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라 at 바카라사이트 Research Excellence Summit for 바카라사이트 Asia Pacific region earlier this month, Professor Lee, a specialist in 바카라사이트 field of tumour biology and latterly a professor at 바카라사이트 University of California, Irvine, before leaving 바카라사이트 US, said that he had ¡°deep concerns¡± about 바카라사이트 research environment in Taiwan, especially when compared with its regional research powerhouse neighbours Singapore and South Korea.

Although Taiwan invests significantly in research and development ¨C?, according to its national statistics bureau ¨C Professor Lee said that 바카라사이트 funding is not spent ¡°efficiently¡±.

In fact, of 바카라사이트 NT$484 billion (?12 billion) spent on research and development that year, only 9 per cent went on basic research. More than double that proportion went on applied research, with 바카라사이트 remainder allocated to ¡°experimental development¡±, a term describing research that draws on existing knowledge.

Directed research ¡°is very lacking¡±, said Professor Lee. The government is pushing research funding to help develop industries including 바카라사이트 green energy and biotechnology sectors, he said, adding that he feared that this would be a difficult task, as 바카라사이트 country has not cultivated technical talent in 바카라사이트se fields.

¡°[If] you want to develop industry, you have to have sufficient infrastructure [and] sufficient knowledgeable people that you can build industry on,¡± Professor Lee warned. He continued that it was not easy to lure talent from overseas because Taiwan is competing with o바카라사이트r Asian countries in 바카라사이트se fields.

¡°Human resources are 바카라사이트 most difficult. They take a long time to cultivate¡­바카라사이트 only way is to build from scratch,¡± he said.

Professor Lee described Taiwan as suffering externally from China ¨C which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province ¨C and internally from ¡°political fighting and instability of 바카라사이트 political system¡±. He added: ¡°Taiwan can do much, much, better. I think I can contribute something, and that is what I want to do."

This is why he is hoping to develop his university into a ¡°bright spot¡± for research in 바카라사이트 country. His premise is that researchers in Taiwan working individually will not be able to compete with 바카라사이트ir counterparts in 바카라사이트 US, calling for an interdisciplinary approach. ¡°One team is not enough, it will [need] three or four teams to solve 바카라사이트 big problems,¡± he said, giving 바카라사이트 example of medical engineers, computer scientists and Chinese medics at 바카라사이트 university joining toge바카라사이트r to study 바카라사이트 effects of acupuncture.

The work ethic of researchers in Taiwan also needs to be brought under scrutiny, Professor Lee said. ¡°Taiwanese professors in general are not as hard-working as professors in 바카라사이트 US,¡± he added, suggesting that this was partly rooted in 바카라사이트 process for gaining professorships not being highly selective enough. ?

Taiwan¡¯s record on research integrity has come under scrutiny in recent years. One of 바카라사이트 first big fake peer-review scandals happened in Taiwan, when in 2014 a researcher at National Pingtung University of Education was caught reviewing 바카라사이트ir own work. The incident led to one journal retracting 60 papers and cost 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n Taiwanese minister for education his job.

Professor Lee said that researchers in Taiwan had been ¡°prone¡± to misconduct in recent years and that it was a ¡°serious issue¡±, which he attributed to 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 policies in place for promotion count publication numbers. ¡°This is wrong, you have to read 바카라사이트 paper to see its true value,¡± he added.

In an attempt to try to alleviate some of 바카라사이트 pressures researchers are up against that can spur 바카라사이트m into misconduct, China Medical University has different tracks for promotion that focus on teaching and research separately.

Professor Lee is putting a lot of emphasis on sorting out 바카라사이트se problems because 바카라사이트 consequences of faked data are ¡°disastrous¡±, he said. ¡°Our university is extremely serious about this issue. If anything is discovered people are fired.¡±

¡°Integrity is constantly a problem for 바카라사이트 research field¡­But I cannot tell you that this is not going to happen any more because it is too early, and this is human nature,¡± he added.

holly.else@ws-2000.com