Prestige vs progress: what stops China's researchers from chasing big new ideas?
When
artificial intelligence (AI) researcher Shen left a lucrative job at a major tech firm three years ago to pursue his passion for research, he was unaware of the reality waiting for him in academia.
Now, as an associate professor at an elite university in eastern China, Shen spends less than a third of his time on actual research, as other duties such as supervising student projects, keep cutting into time for his own projects.
Young researchers like Shen are also under pressure to produce more immediate results,
instead of pursuing bold, exploratory projects, because of a competitive tenure and funding system based on factors such as awards.
'I had expected connections and reputation to matter,' said Shen, whose grant applications have repeatedly fallen through. 'But they turned out to be even more important than I thought.'
'To pursue truly original ideas, you need to invest a huge amount of time and effort,' he said, declining to be identified by his full name. 'But because of these practical constraints, I don't really dare to go all in.'
Shen's frustrations reflect a deeper concern.
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