While most people would think of a plan to expand science programs would be good for science, in some cases these may generate conflicts of interest, such as in the case of China. This week in China, government leaders released plans to expand the country’s ministry of science and technology. The overhauled ministry will continue to oversee science policy and major projects, but will also be taking on new responsibilities, such as funding research grants, and recruiting foreign scientists.
The announcement was made at the annual assembly of the National People’s Congress in Beijing, along with the announcement that more than 15 ministries and agencies will be merged or restructured.
The major problem that some experts are concerned about is a possible reduction in support of basic research. This concern stems from the fact that the National Natural Science Foundation of China is now managed by the science ministry. The foundation, which has funded nearly one-third of the country’s basic research projects, awards modest competitive grants led by individual investigators. Contrarily, the science ministry manages large projects aligned with national goals, and are widely criticized for supporting projects based on “political and personal connections, rather than on expert advice.” Many are concerned that the science ministry will gradually cut support for basic research in favor of larger projects.
While this isn’t an issue that directly affects countries outside of China, if the basic research is cut, then scientists across the globe will be affected negatively, because it’s important to share information, and have others peer review your work. This research cut would put a hindrance on that flow of shared information, and would consequently hurt research world-wide.
Pax Per Scientiam 