New 'bounty system' offers incentives for innovation

Unlocking China's potential in innovation and enhancing basic research capabilities to serve national needs are key objectives in the proposals for the country's 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035.

To achieve these goals, one reform highlighted during the two sessions that has the scientific community buzzing is jie bang gua shuai "accepting the bounty and taking charge", a system in which the government unveils a major research objective, and research entities, regardless of their backgrounds, compete to lead the project.

The reform was first proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2016, and pilot programs saw varying degrees of success in terms of achieving its purpose of granting the best scientists the necessary resources to quickly overcome key technological obstacles.