Major 40-year study of China’s basic research system released, with International Review Committee co-chaired by RoRI’s James Wilsdon and Ludo Waltman
The China Fundamental Research Report (2026) was officially launched at the China National Convention Center in Beijing today. Commissioned by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to mark its 40th anniversary, the landmark study offers the first open, system-level, and data-driven account of how China has organised, funded, and evaluated its fundamental research landscape over the past four decades.
Attending the launch in Beijing, RoRI’s James Wilsdon, who co-chaired the International Review Committee of the report, shared his main reflections in a new RoRI Substack post. He notes that the report marks the moment “China kept a long promise” through 40 years of continuous funding and heavy backing for early-career researchers, while praising its unprecedented openness about gaps in international collaboration and missing data.
Thanks to Roger Pielke, The Honest Broker.
Disclaimer: I haven't read the report, posting it here for the record and in the belief and trust that Roger would not direct us to something that turns out to be nonsense. Where is fundamental research being done in the world? Answer: America. But also a real lot in China. We need to know about it.
