Arrest of professors exposes graft in academia

The arrest of four professors has raised public concern over corruption in China's scientific research system.

The four were arrested for misappropriation of State research funds through false research projects, the anti-corruption watchdog said on Friday.

Li Ning, a professor at the Chinese University of Agriculture and member of the elite Chinese Academy of Engineering, is among them. Li is noted for trans-gene research and was the first in China to clone a rare cattle species in 2002.

The four were found to have behaved suspiciously by the National Audit Office in 2012, among seven professors from five universities, according to a release from the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The seven are said to have swindled more than 25 million yuan ($4 million) in State funds.

"At the bottom, trans-gene research is the study of how to transport the bucks," wrote Internet user "putuolanjing" on weibo.com in one of thousands of negative comments.

"Twenty-five million swindled by seven academics ... what a tragedy for China," commented "meiwendudemao."

China ranked second in terms of the number of theses published in recognized scientific magazines and journals in 2012, but no Chinese scientist has won a Nobel prize in science in more than a century as behavior like plagiarism and ghostwriting haunts Chinese scientists and students.

The government spent 1 trillion yuan, or about 1.97 percent of GDP, on research and development in 2012, and the figure surpassed 2 percent for the first time in 2013. Much of the money has been misused, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

A researcher, who refused to be identified, told Xinhua that a scientist could gain "a sum of money" from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, if he or she is "diligent enough" in establishing contacts in these departments.

"Sometimes they have nowhere to spend the money; then they will think up an excuse," said the source.

Scholars strive for approval for their research in order to apply for government funds, and the authorities who have power of approval take bribes for a green light, according to Wang Yuan, head of the Chinese Academy of Science and Technology for Development under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The system has many disadvantages and must be reformed, Wang said.

The Ministry of Science and Technology, which manages scientific funds, punished eight people after a 2012 audit, including the four arrested.

Chen Yingxu, formerly of Zhejiang University, was sentenced to 10 years in prison earlier this year for stealing nearly 10 million yuan from the funds. He fabricated the project budget, spending and invoices.

China has no specific law on State scientific funds, though the State Council has general rules targeting the credibility of fund applicants. This lack of supervision and sanctions has contributed to corruption in the field, said lawyer Pan Changxin of Shandong's Shunda Lawyer Agency.