Beijing has issued several measures to further boost the “cultivation and utilization of young scientific and technological talents”, aiming to give young people prominent roles in national-level sci-tech research tasks, according to an August 27 report by state-owned Xinhua News Agency. The move hopes to encourage young talent to be more devoted to the country’s technological advancement by addressing challenges that they face in their early careers, such as a lack of research environments, platforms, and opportunities, according to Xinhua News Agency. The new directive pledges to eliminate obstacles linked to job titles and educational backgrounds, and loosen age limitations for individuals applying for pivotal research and development initiatives. It also promises to raise the proportion of young talents under the age of 40 serving as project leaders and key members to no less than 50%. Additionally, it suggests capable universities and research institutes should gradually raise their financial support ratio for researchers under 35 conducting independent research to no less than 50% of the annual budget, to encourage them to focus on national strategic needs and engage in cutting-edge scientific research. In 2022, China’s expenditure on research and development hit a record of RMB 3.09 trillion ($426 billion), up by 10.4% from 2021. [Xinhua, in Chinese]
