2 top Chinese academics named and shamed by graft-busters for ‘saying hello’
- Awarding-winning scientists Ji Jie, Yang Lijun caught trying to use personal connections to secure government research funding
- Using influence in scramble for scarce grants ‘is all too common’, one scientist says
The scientists were among those named by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) – China’s main source of basic research funding – on Friday in the first batch of misconduct cases connected to funding applications for 2024.
In all, 21 researchers from 15 universities were notified and punished.
Among them, two scientists were accused of “saying hello” to reviewers when applying for research grants. In China’s academic circles, “saying hello” can be considered an attempt by funding applicants to approach and influence reviewers through personal connections, known as guanxi in Mandarin.
The two researchers are well-established academics who have previously led national research projects.
The NSFC said Ji Jie, a professor and doctoral supervisor at Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, contacted potential funding reviewers in 2022 and 2023 through phone calls and text messages.
According to the university’s website, Ji is the dean of the school of civil and transport engineering. In the past 10 years, she has undertaken more than 60 national, provincial and ministerial-level research projects and published more than 100 papers.