Public Institutes Transformed
According to the briefing made by Mr. LI Xueyong, Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology, 248 research institutes subordinated to 18 governmental agencies, or 94% of the total public good research institutes in the country, have been restructured in three rounds of transformation campaign.
Of the 248 public research institutes that have been transformed, 89 (36% of the total) have become non-profit research institutes under the priority support of the government with 13,500 posts ( 20% of the previous total, or 30% of the previous staff population); 61 (25% of the previous total) are converted into industrial enterprises; the rest have been transformed into other forms of existence such as part of universities or institutions, S&T intermediary firms and others.
Under the principle of “pilot study in the first place, and transform those who are ready”, 98 public research institutes under 4 governmental agencies including the Ministry of Land Resources kicked off the reform in November 2001. In October 2002, 107 research institutes subordinated to 9 governmental agencies including the Ministry of Agriculture began their respective reforms. At the end of 2003, 43 research institutes under 5 other governmental agencies including the Ministry of Health were approved to restructure.
High Tech Parks Harvest
Statistics announced by the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology show that 53 national high tech parks in the country have recorded a landmark revenue exceeding RMB 2000 billion at RMB 2019.4 billion in 2003. In addition, national high tech parks have yielded an industrial added value of RMB 427.2 billion, or 7% of the nation’s total, with a net profit worth RMB 102.4 billion, taxes paid RMB 96.4 billion and foreign exchanges USD 57 billion.
From 1991 to date, national high tech parks have sustained an unprecedented growth with 1:30 for the input/output ratio. In 2003, national high tech parks realized an added value of RMB 880 million for per square meter of the land they are using, or 800 times the land GDP output of the country. The GDP created by high tech parks is also a ‘green GDP’ for low-pollution, low energy consumption and high added value products.
Statistics show that 53 national high tech parks have a planned area of 725 km2 with 485 km2 completed of the construction. The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology states that it will further enhance the support for the 7 national high tech parks physically located in the northwest section of the country, making national high tech parks play radiating roles in rejuvenating the old northeast industrial bases.
2049 Program Launched
The Chinese Association for Science recently announced that it would initiate more popular science activities in 2004. It will launch a full-fledged action plan for improving public scientific literacy. The following targets are expected to be accomplished: further strengthening the public awareness of scientific and healthy life styles, greatly improving public scientific literacy, and completing the preparation of the “Implementing Outlines for Improving Public Scientific Literacy” and the “Criteria of Public Scientific Literacy”.
Also named is the 2049 Program, an “Action Plan for Improving the Public Scientific Literacy” as an extended national campaign to raise the scientific literacy of Chinese citizens through a variety of ways and means. The Plan expects to raise the scientific literacy of the Chinese population to the level of medium developed nations by 2049, the centenary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
To reach these far-sighted objectives, the Chinese Association for Science began, in collaboration with 14 other governmental agencies or groups, the preparation of the action plan and associated experiments in 2003. Along with the promotional efforts for the implementation of the Law of Diffusion of Sciences, the involved associations at different levels and their departments have sponsored 179,000 rounds of popular science lectures with an audience of 44.6 million persons each time. In addition, 61,000 popular science shows have been organized. The results of the 5th national survey on public scientific literacy show that the proportion of Chinese citizens who possess basic scientific literacy has reached 1.98%, or an increase of 0.58% as compared with 2001.
China Launches Moon Program
Mr. SUN Laiyan, Deputy Administrator of China National Space Administration disclosed on Feb. 13, 2003 that China has launched its moon probing program. Mr. SUN said that phase I project of the program, also named Chang’e I Moon Surrounding Project, has a total budget of RMB 1.2 billion. China’s moon probing program will go through three different development phases, though all are unmanned probing activities. The objectives of phase I project are: launch a satellite circling around the moon before 2007, collect 3-D moon surface images, analyze the composition of usable elements on the moon surface and associated distributions, measure the moon soil depth and explore the space environment between the earth and the moon.
China will use its proven technologies to work on the Chang’e I Moon Surrounding Project. The technologies to be applied include CZ-3A carrier rocket and Dongfanghong satellite platform. Upon completing the phase I project, China will launch an unmanned probing unit to the moon before 2010. In the last part of the program, China will complete the moon soil sample collection before 2020.
More Resources Satellites
On February 12, 2004, the No. 5 Research Institute under the China Space S&T Group delivered Earth Resources Satellite 02, a new baby from the cooperation between China and Brazil, to the China Resources Satellite Application Center. Experts said the deliverance of its elder sister, namely China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 01 has put an end to the history that both China and Brazil had to rely on the resources satellite date provided by other countries. The deliverance of the resources satellite 02 demonstrates that China has entered a stage for producing series resources satellites. Chinese scientists have kicked off the development of other members of the series including 03 and 04.
The newly delivered satellite is equipped with the instruments more advanced than that on 01. These instruments are able to provide more accurate data and images for land resources monitoring, weather forecast, urban planning, environmental protection, forest fire monitoring, crop yield prediction etc.
It is explained that being the products jointly developed by China and Brazil under a shared investment, the 02 and 01 satellites constitute China’s first generation remote sensing satellites for earth resources applications. Launched in 1999, the satellite 01 has ceased to work in August 2003. It sent back to the earth large quantity of data products that have been widely used by the two countries in the fields of land resources, mining, agriculture, forestry, water resources, environmental protection, marine affairs, and urban planning.
It is reported that some other countries have shown their interest in receiving the resources data collected by the Earth Resources Satellite 02.
Interactive Medical Imaging System
Developed by the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the high-resolution medical image based interactive distant diagnosing system has recently passed the approval check for formal applications.
Using a number of advanced technologies for image transmission, image remote control, image processing and display, the new interactive distant diagnosing system can organize online meetings attended by experts from different parts of the country to jointly diagnose difficult diseases. The system is able to display online X-ray, CT and magnetic resonance images for diagnostic purpose.
Experts introduced that the new system has strong application merits, as foreign made distant diagnosing systems ask to use the displays of same resolution between online users. The new system is able to accommodate the displays of different resolutions. The parties at both ends can operate online images, which makes the diagnosing meeting an event as if it took place in the same meeting room. With a large storage volume for images, the system is also able to handle non-standard dynamic images, which proves helpful for predicting the developing tendency of diseases.
Thanks to the many-year painstaking efforts for improvement, the system’s core technology claims a leading position in the world. The system has won two prizes for the advanced nature of its core technology at the north American annual meeting for radiology associations held in 1998 and 2002 respectively. The new system has gone through two-year trial applications at the Huadong Hospital, Shanghai 85 Hospital, the Dept. of Radiology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The trial results have shown that it is ready for extensive applications. The developer of the system has filed the application for national patents.
Clean Autos in China
To make Chinese cities enjoy bluer sky and more clean air, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology has recently announced that 16 major cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai be the demonstrating cities for “clean autos”. The MOST has also defined more than 30 key technologies concerning clean autos for the 10th five-year plan period. China‘s first pollution free automobiles will gradually be seen in these cities.
At the National Clean Auto Show recently held in Shanghai, 105 research institutes and manufacturers from 16 cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai have demonstrated their latest products. These new prototype vehicles, whether fueled by natural gas, or by gasified petroleum or by electricity, impressed visitors by their unprecedented low emission of waste gas.
The super electric trolleybus developed by Shanghai researchers has a super electricity storing system enjoying a work life 7 times that of conventional accumulators. The bus can house 90 passengers. It only takes 3 to 4 minutes for the cable hidden on the bus roof to get the accumulator fully charged. Needing no overhead power lines for electricity supply, the new bus not only reduces the emission pollution but also wipes out the visual pollution caused by power lines above the urban roads.
The fuel battery powered sightseeing bus developed the Beijing Feichi Green Energy Technology Co. Ltd. and electric sedan car, mini electric car and electric van developed by the Tianjin Qingyuan Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd. have shared common features: noise free, pollution free, light weight and modern looking. These electric automobiles have demonstrated a dynamic performance that can match with their gas fueled counterparts. All of them have the innovative operating system that can greatly facilitate driver’s operation. These electric vehicles will soon become the new attractions of the market.
The renovated auto fuel system displayed at the show can accelerate clean energy applications of existing automobiles running in major cities such as Beijing, Tianjin and Guangzhou.
China’s Life Searching System
The Earthquake Life Searching and Positioning System developed by the Sichuan Seismological Bureau has recently passed the approval checks jointly organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology and National Seismological Bureau.
The new system is made up of three parts: optical life detecting unit, sound wave life detecting instrument and infrared imager. The optical life detecting unit has a wide-angle camera as its probe. Capable to see a scene as wide as 127 degree, the unit has an extendable rod that can reach a depth of 8 meters. Images and sounds can be transmitted through the cable built in the rod to the portable computer on the ground. The pictures can also be enlarged to count or see more clearly the victims buried underneath. Rescue workers can map up detailed locations of buried persons with the help of pictures and sound data collected by the new system.
Once the rescuing area is defined, rescue workers can place 4 stethoscope-like probes of the sound wave life detector in selected locations. The probes are so sound sensitive that they can show wave pictures even when a feeble sound is detected. The detector can also filter out irrelevant surface noises so as work out more accurate data needed by rescue workers to tell the location of a survivor.
Abnormal Chromosomes Discovered
After the first discovery of 3 abnormal human cases in the world, the Shenzhen Hospital under the Peking University has recently announced the discovery of another 8 cases of abnormal human chromosomes. The verification results issued by the China’s National Key Lab for Genetics show that the 8 cases are also the first of their kinds so far reported in the world. The 8 abnormal cases have been collected by the database for abnormal chromosomes of Chinese population.
Of the 8 newly discovered abnormal human chromosome cases, 7 came from the patients who are married with the symptoms of habitual miscarriages, infertility, stillborn and deformed fetus. Another came from a 21-year-old university student who visited the hospital for consecutive amenorrhea.
Experts express that the discovery not only enriches the international database for human chromosomes, but is also helpful for clinic diagnosis of genetic diseases and human gene study. The newly discovered cases provide important evidences for chromosome mutation study and associated clinic diagnosing.
More Techniques for Combating Bird-Flu
Under the request of the National Commanding Center for Bird-Flu Prevention and Control, an S&T working group under the Center has gathered experts from different disciplines to develop techniques and products for combating bird-flu epidemics. The experts’concerted efforts have resulted in 22 techniques and products for immune protection, quick diagnosing, personnel protection and disinfections. Some of the techniques are derived from the technical reserves of the national key technology program, and others are developed after the outbreak of the epidemics. For example, the RT-PCR fluorescent testing technique is able to confirm the infection of bird flu in 4 hours, which greatly reduces the testing time. While organizing research efforts at both central and local levels, the Ministry of Science and Technology diffuses the new techniques and products to the disease stricken areas as well as the one that have not yet been infected through technology demonstration and consultation activities.
Comments or inquiries on editorial matters or Newsletter content should be directed to:Mr. Mao Zhongying, Department of International Cooperation, MOST 15B, Fuxing Road Beijing 100862, PR China Tel: (8610)68512650 Fax: (8610) 68512594
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