The Chinese government has set up a watchdog body to stop wasteful spending in scientific research and to promote the national sharing of resources.
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) initiated the body, an inter-ministry joint conference, which is expected to coordinate and oversee the purchasing of expensive laboratory equipment, database building and responsible use of life science resources.
At the inauguration of the joint conference, attended by representatives of 16 ministerial organizations, on Wednesday afternoon, Liu Yanhua, Vice-Science Minister, said China's annual investment in research is only 4.7 percent that of the United States, but squandered money in repetitive purchases of laboratory equipment.
For example, Liu said, US scientists shared only 16 moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) receivers, a kind of equipment for receiving data from remote sensing satellite, but China already had 17 and ordered another 80, which is a typical waste.
Hu Qiheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and vice-chair of the joint conference, said she hoped it would help allocate China's limited research funds and resources wisely.
(Xinhua News Agency July 25, 2003)
