Chinese Academy of Sciences cuts red tape to encourage innovation

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has promised to streamline the administration of scientific affairs to promote a healthy innovation ecosystem with less bureaucratic red tape.

The academy, which has more than 100 institutions and 60,000 science workers, will delegate more powers to affiliated research institutions and scientists, said Deng Maicun, its secretary-general.

Paperwork related to science projects will be simplified or eliminated to improve the efficiency of governance, Deng said. Key scientists will have more influence over funding, resource allocation and management, he added.

Science workers and institutions will enjoy more autonomy, with legal guidelines and supervision optimized to ensure effective management, Deng said, providing more robust and convenient services to maximize the full innovative potential of scientists.

The reform includes 10 main items, ranging from simplifying project approval and budget evaluation processes to talent management, according to Xie Pengyun, the academy’s director of development planning.

The right to allocate and use research assets worth less than 8 million yuan ($1.23 million) will be granted to the legal entity responsible for the science project, he said.

To speed up the reimbursement process for expenses, the academy will also promote a smart, cloud-based financial database integrated with banks and companies, improving financial work efficiency and services.

Xie said that with approval from the academy, established major scientific projects and those that win top awards — including first prize in the State Natural Science Award, and prizes in the National Technological Invention Award and the National Science and Technology Process Award — will be able to skip the consultation and demonstration process when initiating new projects. 

In talent management, the academy will eliminate the three-classifications system for its Hundred Talent Program, a recruitment and training program launched in 1994 to attract top scientific talent from overseas. The old system divided talent into three broad categories: academic, technical and young prospects.

It will now emphasize academic disciplines and provide varying levels of financial support according to the recruits’ specific needs. Xie said institutes can now establish posts for talent from the program, based on their needs, without filing additional applications.

To remedy the talent shortfall in key scientific fields, the academy has launched a “green channel” that features relaxed application conditions and quotas. 

“The goal of the reforms is to reduce the time and energy needed for science workers to engage in paperwork, and provide more effective management and services for them to innovate,” Xie said.