China must ‘tolerate failure’ in science and tech to close gap with US, by reforming risk-averse research environment

Allowing academics and scientists more time to conduct high-risk but potentially groundbreaking research is critical to achieving self-reliance, experts say

China’s technology bottlenecks in areas such as integrated circuits and artificial intelligence can be traced back to a fundamental lack of basic research

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China has doubled down efforts to address weak links in science and technology as part of its push for self reliance. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 11:00pm, 20 Mar 2023Updated: 11:56pm, 20 Mar 2023

China needs to foster a research environment more tolerant of mistakes and give academics more time to push the boundaries of basic research if it wants to become a technological powerhouse, officials and experts said.

China has doubled down efforts to address weak links in science and technology as part of its push for self reliance amid escalating containment from the United States.

In addition to high spending on research and innovation, the country launched a 10-year action plan last year to boost basic research capabilities.

Guan Zhongcheng, a research fellow at the Institute of Science and Development under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the research cycle for basic science should be a continuous journey of discovery, with long-term financial backing.

Research in basic areas often has unclear paths, uncertain methods, and a relatively high failure rate

Wang Zhigang

“Long-period research requires researchers to have a steady mindset, as only if they settle down and are given a longer time permission will they be inclined to dive in and make a further contribution,” Guan told the Post.