China’s science awards system is plagued by shadowy practices. Can reforms fix it?

China’s science and technology awards system has been accused of being riddled with loopholes and misconduct, including serious exaggeration of achievements, cultivation of personal connections and even bribery, according to critics within the academic community.

These flaws, though repeatedly addressed by the authorities, are said to remain deeply entrenched, casting a shadow over China’s rapidly advancing innovation sector that is widely regarded as a key pillar in its rivalry with the West.

Last year, the China Association for Science and Technology issued an announcement stating that it was rescinding the honours of five award recipients, including the China Youth Science and Technology Award, revoking their medals and certificates and demanding the return of prize money due to their disciplinary and legal violations or research misconduct.

Among them was Liu Jianni, a professor of palaeontology at Northwest University and recipient of the China Young Women in Science Award in 2014.

But a decade later, she was publicly named for engaging in improper solicitation and other unfair practices during the review of national grant projects.

According to well-placed sources within Chinese academic circles, award misconduct is not uncommon.

A professor of agriculture at a public university in southwestern China, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, described the awards system as “one of the most corrupt links” in the country’s scientific ecosystem.