Chinese Academy of Sciences

Chinese Academy of Sciences
Seal of the Academy
Other name中国科学院 (Native Name)
Parent institutionState Council of China
Founder(s)Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government (emerged to the State Council in 1954)
Established1 November 1949; 74 years ago (1949-11-01)
FocusNatural sciences
PresidentHou Jianguo
Staff69,000 (2022)[1]
Key peopleYin Hejun, Vice President
BudgetCN¥162.1 billion (2022)[2]
Formerly calledAcademia Sinica (1949–1980s)
Address52 Sanlihe Rd, Xicheng, Beijing, China
Location
Nationwide
,
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese中国科学院
Traditional Chinese中國科學院
Websiteenglish.cas.cn Edit this at Wikidata

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; 中国科学院)[3] is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China.[4] It is the world's largest research organization, with 100 research institutes, 2 universities, 69 thousand full-time employees, and 79 thousand graduate students.[5]

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republican era and was formerly also known by that name until the 1980s. The academy functions as the national scientific think tank and academic governing body, providing advisory and appraisal services on issues stemming from the national economy, social development, and science and technology progress. It is headquartered in Beijing, with affiliate institutes throughout China. It has also created hundreds of commercial enterprises, Lenovo being one of the most famous.

The academy also runs the University of Science and Technology of China and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,[6] which is among the world's top five universities ranked by Nature Index.[7][8] CAS also holds a stake in the Chinese hacking company I-Soon.[9]

Membership[edit]

CAS headquarters building front in 2017

Membership of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, also known by the title Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (中国科学院院士), is a lifelong honor given to Chinese scientists who have made significant achievements in various fields. According to the Bylaws for Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences adopted in 1992 and recently amended in 2014, it is the highest academic title in China. A formal CAS member must hold Chinese citizenship, although foreign citizens may be elected as CAS foreign academicians. Members older than 80 are designated as "senior members" and may no longer hold leading positions in the organization.[10] Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences carry an obligation to advance science and technology, to advocate and uphold scientific spirit, to develop a scientific and technological workforce, to attend member meetings and receive consultation and evaluation tasks, and to promote international exchanges and cooperation. Academicians can give suggestions and influence Chinese state policy related to science and technology.[11]

History[edit]

Beginning in 1972, CAS began promoting the idea of balancing applied research with more theoretical research and in having scientific exchanges with other developing countries.[12]: 74 

As vice premier, Deng Xiaoping in 1975 also sought to re-orient CAS towards more theoretical research, which had not been a focus during the Cultural Revolution.[12]: 74  Deng emphasized that "the Academy of Sciences is an Academy of Sciences, not an Academy of Cabbage."[12]: 74  Deng assigned CAS vice president Hu Yaobang to draft a plan for overhauling CAS.[12]: 74  Deng and his aide Hu Qiaomu revised the draft and in September 1974 issued "The Outline Report on the Work of the Academy of Sciences".[12]: 74  The Outline described scientific research in China as lagging behind the needs of socialist construction and the state of the advanced countries, and stated that to catch up, China should emphasize basic science in order to develop a sound theoretical foundation.[12]: 74 

This approach to scientific reform fell out of political favor in 1976 when Deng was purged, although it continued to be supported by many members within CAS.[12]: 75  A month before Deng's political return in 1977 however, the Outline Report was revived and adopted as CAS's official policy.[12]: 81 

Shortly after his return, Deng hosted a series of meetings on science and education in which he stated that science should become the forerunner of China's modernization.[12]: 82  Following these remarks, CAS prepared its goals for natural science disciplines to be achieved by 1985, stating that as a developing socialist country, China should strengthen basic scientific research through foreign exchanges.[12]: 82 

To further promote this agenda, Deng began a campaign to promote the National Science Conference.[12]: 82  A team led by CAS vice president Fang Yi instructed schools, factories, and communes to organize youth-focused events celebrating science and technology.[12]: 82 

In 1977, the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences was split off of CAS and reorganized into the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and led by Hu Qiaomu.[12]: 86–87 

In 2023, the Pasteur Institute suspended ties with CAS.[13]

Organization[edit]

Main entrance to Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology, CAS, in Ningbo, Zhejiang
Institute of Computing Technology Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing

Scientific integrity[edit]

On 26 February 2007, CAS published a Declaration of Scientific Ideology and set up a commission for scientific integrity to promote transparency, autonomy and accountability of scientific research in the country. Around that same time, the Ministry of Science and Technology also initiated measures to address misconduct in state-funded programs.[14]

Publications[edit]

Science China
LanguageEnglish
Standard abbreviations
ISO 4Sci. China

Together with the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the academy publishes the peer-reviewed academic journal, Science China (also known as Science in China). Science China comprises seven series:[15]

  • A: Mathematics
  • B: Chemistry
  • C: Life Sciences
  • D: Earth Sciences
  • E: Technological Sciences
  • F: Information Sciences
  • G: Physics, Mechanics and Astronomy

CAS also promotes the China Open Access Journals (COAJ) platform,[16] a national variant of the international Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

Awards[edit]

Since 1999, the CAS has issued the annual State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, presented by the President of China to the recipient.[17]

Ranking and reputation[edit]

CAS has been ranked the No. 1 research institute in the world by Nature Index since the list's inception in 2014 by Nature Portfolio.[18][19][20][21][22][23]

It was the most productive institution publishing articles on sustainable development indexed in the Web of Science from 1981 to 2018 among all universities and research institutions in the world.[24]

The academy also runs the University of Science and Technology of China and the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,[6] which is among the world's top five universities ranked by Nature Index.[7][8]

In terms of highly cited researcher recognitions, the Chinese Academy of Sciences holds the record with 270, ranking first in the world among all universities and research institutions as of 2023, according to Clarivate. Compared to a country, it would rank as the world's sixth-largest with highly cited researchers.[25]

International cooperation[edit]

The Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth is a branch of CAS. The Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth was a customer of Swedish Space Corporation (SSC), which provides data transmission services from satellites for a wide range of societal functions.[26] It was reported by Reuters on 21 September 2020 that SSC decided not to renew the contracts with China to help operate Chinese satellites from SSC's ground stations, or seek new business with China.[27]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ "中国科学院简介----中国科学院". Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  2. ^ "中国科学院2022年部门预算" [2022 Budget of the Chinese Academy of Sciences] (PDF). Chinese Academy of Sciences (in Chinese). p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  3. ^ KÜHNER, HANS (1984). "Between Autonomy and Planning: The Chinese Academy of Sciences in Transition". Minerva. 22 (1): 13–44. doi:10.1007/BF02207555. ISSN 0026-4695. JSTOR 41820552. PMID 11611662. S2CID 21494880. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  4. ^ "中国科学院章程----中国科学院". www.cas.cn. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  5. ^ "中国科学院简介----中国科学院". www.cas.cn. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b "中国科学院教育简介 — 中国科学院". Chinese Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 22 May 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b "2023 tables: Institutions | Annual tables | Nature Index". nature.com. Archived from the original on 26 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  8. ^ a b "2023 tables: Institutions – academic | Annual tables | Nature Index". nature.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  9. ^ Kang, Dake; Soo, Zen (8 March 2024). "Behind the doors of a Chinese hacking company, a sordid culture fueled by influence, alcohol and sex". Associated Press. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  10. ^ "中国科学院院士章程 [Bylaws for Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences]". Chinese Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  11. ^ "Obligations and Rights of a CAS Member". Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Minami, Kazushi (2024). People's Diplomacy: How Americans and Chinese Transformed US-China Relations during the Cold War. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9781501774157.
  13. ^ Mallapaty, Smriti (8 March 2023). "Prestigious Pasteur Institute severs ties with China infectious disease lab". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-00694-x. PMID 36890326.
  14. ^ The Lancet (17 March 2007). "Reforming research in China". The Lancet. 369 (9565): 880. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60419-X. PMID 17368128. S2CID 205948464.
  15. ^ "Science in China Press". Science in China Press. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  16. ^ "中国科技期刊开放获取平台". China Open Access Journals. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  17. ^ "China in Brief – Science and Technology – Awards". China Internet Information Center (State Council Information Office and the China International Publishing Group). Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
  18. ^ "Nature Index tables 2012–2013". Nature. 515 (7526): S98–S108. 2014. doi:10.1038/515S98a. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 25390156.
  19. ^ "Nature Global Institutions Ranking, 2013–2014". Nature. 522 (7556): S34–S44. 2015. doi:10.1038/522S34a. ISSN 0028-0836.
  20. ^ "2016 tables: Institutions". Nature Index. Springer Nature. 2016. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  21. ^ "2017 tables: Institutions". Nature Index. Springer Nature. 2017. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  22. ^ "2018 tables: Institutions". Nature Index. Springer Nature. 2018. Archived from the original on 22 July 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  23. ^ "2021 tables: Institutions". Nature Index. Springer Nature. 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  24. ^ Li, R.Y.M.; Li, Y.L.; Crabbe, M.J.C.; Manta, O.; Shoaib, M. The Impact of Sustainability Awareness and Moral Values on Environmental Laws. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5882. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115882 Archived 8 August 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ "Clarivate Reveals World's Influential Researchers in Highly Cited Researchers 2023 List". Clarivate. 15 November 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  26. ^ SSC. "Appendix of SSC's Chinese customers" (PDF). SSC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 June 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  27. ^ Ahlander, Johan; Barrett, Jonathan (21 September 2020). "Swedish space agency halts new business helping China operate satellites". Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]