Scientific Minds

By Lu Yan

Feng Jianrui is pursuing his postdoctoral studies at the School of Materials Science and Engineering of the Beijing Institute of Technology. The 30-year-old is incredibly passionate about his research. “Scientific exploration is full of both beauty and fun despite the diffi culties along the road，” Feng told Beijing Review.

Despite this fact， Feng and many early career researchers in China are facing fi nancial difficulties， particularly low incomes. While a large proportion of overseas scientifi c research funds go to personnel expenses and emoluments， in China funds are primarily used to purchase scientifi c instruments and facilities.

In November， a piece of good news for young scientifi c professionals like Feng was announced. Pony Ma， founder and CEO of Chinese tech giant Tencent， joined with 14 renowned scientists to launch an awards program， the Xplorer Prize， aimed at promoting scientifi c and economic development.

According to a statement from the Tencent Foundation， the companys charitable platform， it will award 50 promising professionals under the age of 45 with 600，000 yuan （$86，300） each annually for five consecutive years. The money will help their exploration of fundamental science and cutting-edge core technologies.

The Tencent Foundation will offer 1 billion yuan （$146 million） as the initial fund for the award， which will be open to nominations in January 2019 and will announce its fi rst winners next July.

“Some scientist friends of mine always complain that the income of scientific profes- sionals doesnt match their abilities. So I think maybe we can make a change and support young scientists in devoting themselves to basic research and cutting-edge technologies，”Ma said.

Cutting-edge science and technologies are crucial to lifting Chinas development to a higher level， and its important to support young scientists， said Rao Yi， a life sciences professor at Peking University and one of the 14 Chinese scientists who co-initiated the award.

Supports and outcomes

In recent years， Chinas top leadership has called for enhanced efforts to facilitate the development of fundamental science and cutting-edge technologies to boost the countrys innovative competitiveness. The country has introduced special policies to encourage more young professionals to pursue their work.

Back in 2010， the Chinese Government launched a recruitment program. It grants research funds and living subsidies to scientists under the age of 40 who possess a PhD granted by prestigious overseas universities. In July 2018， a new document stated that the fund management system of scientific research institutes and universities affiliated to central ministries should be improved so as to increase support for young scientifi c professionals.

Local authorities at provincial and city levels have also come up with their own policies to ensure that scientific professionals and other high-calibre personnel can continue with scientifi c pursuits in the best environment possible.

According to incomplete statistics， there are 20 national and more than 100 provincial or institutional assistance programs for young scientists in China.

Born in 1982， Zhang Hua holds a PhD in radiation oncology from the Netherlands Cancer Institute and currently runs an artificial intelligence company in radiation oncology in Beijing.“I witnessed a big transformation， especially in the last five years， as the country attaches great importance to sci-tech development and innovation. It provides opportunities for young scientists to shine，” he said.

Jane Li， a 29-year-old researcher with a PhD in science from Peking University， is also fully aware of the rapid scientifi c and technological development in China. She is pursuing her scientific career at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

“Theres a high probability that in the future I will return to China， establish my own laboratory and continue my work in my motherland，”Li said.

A sound scientific research environment has also enabled Chinese scientists to establish themselves on international platforms. Recently， Wan Ruixue went viral on the Internet. In November， the 28-year-old postdoctoral student at the School of Medicine of Tsinghua University， won the Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists， a global bioscience prize， established in 2013， aimed at rewarding early career scientists and recognizing excellence among young researchers from around the world.

Every September， the World Economic Forum recognizes a group of exceptional scientists under the age of 40 at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions for their contributions to advancing the frontiers of science and their passion for integrating scientific knowledge into society for the public good. Three Chinese scientists， namely Ai Ding from Tianjin Medical University， Duan Xuexin from Tianjin University and Yang Na from Nankai University， experts in physiology， biomedicine and biophysics， respec- tively， were among the 36 people honored this year.

In July， the International Thermoelectric Society announced that Professor Zhou Xiaoyuan from Chongqing University had been selected as the recipient of the 2018 Young Investigator Awards.

In November， the Chinese Academy of Sciences， Chinas leading natural science academic institution and a pool of pioneering scientists， also released a candidate list for its young scientist award. The annual award has 10 candidates， each has made outstanding scientifi c contributions or innovations. The winner will receive 50，000 yuan （$7，255） as a prize.

Hopes for the future

On November 18， the 2018 Future Science Prize Award Ceremony was held in Beijing.

Established in January 2016， the prize is the first non-governmental award initiated by Chinese scientists and entrepreneurs. Aspiring to become Chinas Nobel Prize， it was established to honor outstanding scientists for their signifi cant contributions. It also hopes to glean public support for science and inspire more youngsters to join the noble cause of science and realize Chinas “science dream.”

The future of science requires young， high-caliber personnel who are ready to face challenges， and are dedicated to their work and full of creativity， said Ding Hong， a researcher with the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a member of the Future Science Prize Committee.

“In China， scientific research funds usually go to venerable scientists， while younger researchers resort to seniors for funds. But in fact， the young， who are full of vigor， creativity and innovative ideas should be given more opportunities and resources，” said Xia Zhihong， Chair Professor of Mathematics at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen， south Chinas Guangdong Province， and also a member of the prize committee. He stressed that younger people should be considered for important positions such as research project reviewers.

Apart from financial and other external challenges， the research process itself can also be extremely challenging. “There are many barriers. For example， reaching a conclusion can be hard even after multiple experiments； often extensive work doesnt offer the desired results and I dont know what will be the next step，” Li said.

She added that her colleagues work together to overcome such problems by discussing them with each other， referring to professional literature and continuing to plough on with the task at hand.

“If we carry on with our work， we will probably get a breakthrough，” Li said.

Theres an alternative for scientifi c researchers who are struggling with making progress.“When experiencing diffi culties， young scientist should examine if they are heading in the right direction， instead of blindly and stubbornly going down the wrong path，” Burn J. Lin， a scientist specializing in material and device science and technology who was awarded the 2018 Future Science Prize， said.

“Sometimes， realizing what went wrong and pulling back before its too late is also a valuable characteristic that scientists should have，”he said.