China is seriously considering a plan that would remove some of the biggest barriers to research performance at Chinese universities, according to nature.com. University officials have presented Chinese premier Wen Jiabao with a plan that would give their institutions more autonomy, allowing them to pursue research specialties or other strengths.
China has the third largest national science budget in the world, enough investment to expect a large influence on global scientific discovery and technological innovation. But the results, according to most observers, have been below expectations.
Relinquishing government control over universities might mirror the process, during the 1980s, of granting more autonomy to agriculture and business. Huge economic success followed those decisions. Chinese researchers are hoping similar autonomy allows them to thrive.
Louis Wertz 